Jungle Fury: Normal Life
by Knightwood
Summary: Months after the final battle, the Rangers prepare for the toughest challenge of all...The Challenge of living a normal life! Follow on from "Conclusions Arc"
1. Married Life

**Normal Life**

Since the series is now over (T_T) I guess it's up to fanfiction to keep things going. Here's the beginning of a little story about the months following Dai Shi's destruction as the Rangers prepare for the new challenges that lie ahead. The challenges of having "normal" lives! Time to get the usual stuff out of the way.

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated rights, names, places etc. Anything not covered by the aforementioned rights is to be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T – Mild adult themes, language etc.

**Timeline:** A few months after the final battle.

Camille turned onto her side on the bed as Casey came back into the room following his shower. She truly did love him, and she was genuinely happy to b having his child, but at this moment in time, she was not a happy camper.

"Go back to sleep." He whispered to his fiancée as he sat on the bed, gently stroking her back. He wasn't happy at being pulled out of his bed at this time either, but today was the day that RJ, Lily, Theo and Fran were arriving back from their collective honeymoons, and they needed someone to pick them up at the airport. RJ had rather foolishly let Theo book the flights, and so as a cost-cutting measure, he had booked them onto a flight that would be landing at the airport at five in the morning. "It's bad enough I have to be up at this time, you should think about the baby."

"It's your damn baby that's keeping me awake." She grumbled sleepily. "You know how hard I find it to get back to sleep when I'm awake."

"Just take it easy, I'll be back soon, I promise." He implored her, gently pressing her shoulders back to the mattress. Camille groaned a little as he did this. He was only doing it to get her onto her back because he'd heard that sleeping on her side while she was pregnant wasn't good for her back. He'd been completely smothering her since he found out about the baby. At first it was quite sweet, he was constantly bringing her pillows, magazines, drinks and suchlike, but it could get a little over-bearing, especially when she wasn't feeling so good. She'd already experienced the joys of morning sickness, back pain and hormonal mood swings, and at times all she wanted was to be left alone. "Besides, it's not just my baby."

"When it's keeping me awake at four in the bloody morning it is!" She replied, pouting childishly. "Why do you have to do it?"

"Dom's minding the restaurant single-handed and Jarrod's doing both their jobs at the academy." He reminded her. "I agreed because it takes the least time out of my day."

"Have none of them heard of cabs?" She grunted.

"Knowing Lily and Fran they've probably brought back so many souvenirs they'd need RJ's van to bring them back." He chuckled. "I promise I'll try not to wake you when I get back."

Casey pulled the covers back over her and kissed her softly. She was more beautiful to him now than ever. Although she was now close to six months pregnant, and constantly complained about how big she was getting, he still couldn't think of her as anything other than beautiful. He knew his constant worrying annoyed her at times, but he couldn't help it. He only wanted the best for her and the baby. He was still looking forward to the day he could phone his mother and call her "grandma" for the first time.

"Well could you at least get some milk for breakfast while you're out?" She asked him.

"I bought a gallon yesterday." He reminded her.

"Pregnant woman with cravings remember." She replied. Casey just shook his head and left the room. Gathering his coat and his keys, he left the apartment to head to the airport. Although they had only been gone for two weeks, he was already looking forward to seeing them all again. He kind of regretted the fact that he couldn't afford the time or money for a large-scale wedding like theirs before the baby came, but thinking about holding his child for the first time, he couldn't feel too disappointed. Making Camille his wife would be more than enough for him.

Meanwhile on a plane just entering California, Theo was becoming increasingly grouchy as a kid on the seat next to him continued to shove a comic book into his face, pointing out jokes. He had been forcefully befriended by the little guy after their stop-over in Texas, and the kid just wouldn't leave him alone. He jabbed an elbow into RJ, who was sleeping soundly next to him.

"RJ, can't you switch seats for a while?" He complained.

"Theo, you know getting the seat next to the hyperactive four-year-old is your punishment for booking us on this cheap-ass flight."

"Well couldn't I at least have sat next to Fran?" He whined, shoving the comic book away after muttering again that he understood the joke. He had hoped at first that agreeing with the kid that the comic was hilarious would get him to leave him alone, but a hundred or so jokes later, hopes for that were fading fast. "I mean, I thought the point of a honeymoon was to spend time with your wife."

"Theo, we were lucky enough that the flight was oversold." He reminded him. "Now, you know Lily's condition, so I thought it was a given she get one of the first-class seats available, and I thought you'd want Fran to get the other one."

"Lily's been pregnant less than two months." He reminded him.

"Well I could have taken the other first-class seat." RJ answered in a yawn. "Then you could have sat with Fran and your little friend there."

Theo just sat back on his chair and sulked as the comic was rammed into his face again. He knew that Fran had to be having the time of her life in first-class by comparison.

In first-class, Fran and Lily were genuinely enjoying their flight. Although it was so early, they couldn't sleep because of the excitement of getting back to their friends. Fran especially was having a great time, exploring all the little extras and luxuries afforded to them by their upgrade.

"Oooh, what's this?" She slurred, pulling a paper bag out of the pocket in the seat in front of her. "Is it a doggie bag to take home all these goodies?"

Lily just laughed at her. She had been drinking champagne since the flight took off, and the bubbles had meant it went straight to her head. Fran had never even been on a flight before, never mind travelling first class. She could barely contain her laughter as Fran tried to put the headphones into the bag, only to find to her disappointment that they didn't fit.

"Fran, that's a barf bag." She informed her. "You use it if you feel sick."

"Oh, right." She replied, giggling a little at the realisation. She leaned across as the steward came near, holding up her glass.

"Can I have another?" She asked, waving frantically. The steward took it off her.

"Honeymoon." Lily explained. He gave them both a little quizzical look, before heading off to collect that order. Fran giggled and slumped back into her own seat.

"I love honeymoons." She yelled loudly, causing a few of the other passengers to look around. Lily shrunk a little in her chair.

"Fran, you might want to slow down on the champagne." She commented. "I think the baby's starting to move."

"Oh don't be silly, you're only 7 weeks." She slurred. "The baby won't move for a good while yet." She leaned over to talk to Lily's stomach.

"You aren't moving yet, are you little lady?" She looked back up to Lily's face. "You know at this point the baby will be female. It only changes later in development."

Lily was starting to wish Fran didn't know so much. She kind of hoped to use the baby as a trump card to get Fran to settle down, but obviously that wasn't going to work. The steward arrived back with a whole bottle of champagne.

"We only ordered a glass." Lily reminded him.

"It's on me." He whispered. "Me and some of the guys had a bet, and you just won me five hundred dollars."

Lily looked at him a little confused as Fran poured herself another glass.

"Honeymoon?" He said with a wink, before going back to his duties. Lily just held her head in her hands as she realised what he meant. Fran started shaking her shoulder to rouse her attention.

"Lily?" She asked. "Can I have that paper bag now?"

Lily just shook her head and handed the barf bag back to Fran. Theo had a lot to answer for.

Casey arrived in the terminal as the plane began its final approach. He stood by the arrivals area, waiting for his friends to come through customs. He smiled as he saw Theo and RJ coming through the gate first.

"Where are the girls?" He asked them.

"The flight was oversold, so they went first-class." RJ told him. "Their gate's just up that way."

"So how's Camille?" Theo asked as the kid who'd been pestering him smiled and waved at him. He gave a weak little smile back and waved in return.

"She's fine." Casey replied, noticing the gesture. "Who's the kid?"

"Theo made a little friend." RJ informed him in a chuckle as they made their way to the next gate.

"Casey, as a word of advice, when your kid comes, comic books are banned." Theo grumbled. "I never want to see another one as long as I live."

"Well next time, just book a better flight and we can choose our seats." RJ laughed. "OK, it looks like our ladies have arrived."

Fran staggered through the gate, holding her head and squinting to gain her bearings. She tripped over a bag onto the floor, giggling as Lily came through the gate after her. RJ ran over, snatching her hand luggage from her. Theo helped Fran back to her feet.

"Fran?" Theo asked her. "Are you alright?"

"I've felt better." She muttered. "I had a couple of glasses of champagne."

"A couple?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. "You had my allowance too! Then that steward gave you that complimentary bottle."

"Did they find out you were celebrating your honeymoon?" Theo asked.

"Something like that." Lily groaned, looking at RJ. "Don't ask, I'll tell you later."

"Wait a minute, why was Fran drinking your share?" Casey asked, picking up their luggage from the carousel. "Wait a minute. Lily wasn't drinking at the wedding either, and now RJ isn't letting her carry..." A large smile crossed his face as he realised their news. Lily had only told RJ before they went on their honeymoon, and Theo and Fran only knew because they were on honeymoon with them. They still hadn't told the others yet, but having been around Camille, Casey knew the signs and had obviously figured it out.

"Congratulations!" He yelled, hugging both Lily and RJ tightly. "How far along are you?"

"About 7 weeks." She responded. "Now, can we get going back to the apartment? I really just want to get home."

"I just want to see if it's still standing." RJ chuckled. "Leaving Dom there single handed, I'm a little worried."

"I don't feel so good." Fran grumbled, turning a little green. "Can we go home?"

"I think that would be a good idea." RJ replied, gathering their bags. "Theo, Casey, I could use a hand."

Gathering their things, they made their way through the terminal, arriving in the parking lot. Casey began loading the cases into the van as Fran and Theo got into the back. RJ quickly joined them, allowing Lily to ride shotgun with Casey.

"So what have we missed while we were away?" RJ asked him. "What's been happening?"

"Well Dom found it a little hard to run the restaurant single-handed, so he got in some help on a temporary basis." He answered. "Gabby was looking for some extra cash, so he let her waitress there."

"That'll be good for her." Lily commented, thinking about the young girl she had coached for her dance competition. "She really has come out of her shell the last few months. Master Phant will be thrilled."

"He was." Casey replied. "Master Finn helps out too; he found he really enjoys cooking. I think you may find it hard to get him to leave."

"I can't wait to catch up with Swoop." Theo remarked. "He said he wanted to know all the details."

"Sometimes I think he isn't as happy being single as he makes out." Fran mused. "Maybe he should get out more. He's kind of attractive..."

"Good luck with that one." RJ laughed. "I just about had to drag him kicking and screaming to that drinking session in Monte Carlo. He really loves his own space. He left the temple to focus on his own training; he refused to teach anyone for ages."

"What made him change his mind?" Lily asked.

"I wouldn't leave him alone until he agreed to train me." He chuckled at the memory. "By the time he agreed, he was so impressed by my stubborn nature he let that whole 'cool, stoic and serious' facade of his slip and showed me his mischievous side. Shortly afterwards we became friends."

"Jarrod's finding his stride at the temple now." Casey informed them. "He seems to really like teaching those students. He's already got quite a few impressive prospects."

"Well I'll see it for myself when I get back to training." Fran chipped in. "If I survive the hangover of course."

The van arrived back at JKP, where they all disembarked. Casey started unloading cases as they made their way inside.

"Home, sweet home." RJ announced, coming into the restaurant and switching on the lights. "I missed this place."

"So did I." Lily replied. RJ held up a hand as she was about to come in.

"Now Mrs. James, we need to do this properly." He told her, putting down his bags. He stepped outside, and picked her up in his arms. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck with a broad smile as he carried her across the threshold.

"Just leave the stuff there." RJ told them, looking down into Lily's eyes. "We'll get it when we wake up."

Casey and Theo just dropped off the bags, before returning to the van. The next stop was Theo and Fran's place. Casey carried the bags as Theo lifted her in through the door. Fran by now had just crashed out in his arms, and was beginning to snore. Casey put the bags down and left wordlessly left as Theo took her to the bedroom. Laying her down, he looked over the woman of his dreams and smiled as he thought about how lucky he was to have her. She was his whole world, and now she was his for life. He kissed her neck as he slid under the covers next to her, placing an arm around her and pulling her into him.

"Goodnight Mrs. Martin." He whispered. Although she was asleep, he could swear he saw her lips twitch into a kind of smile. He lay down his head and drifted off to sleep.

Casey just had one more stop, returning to the gym to return to Camille. Coming in as quietly as he could, he found her in the kitchen, making short work of the orange juice, swigging it from the carton greedily.

"Is junior acting up again?" He asked her. Camille nodded her head as she choked down the last mouthful of juice.

"Where's the milk?" She asked, noticing the absence of any grocery bags. Casey shifted a little uncomfortably as he realised he had forgotten to stop at the gas station for the milk she asked for.

"Sorry, I promise I'll get some later." He replied. "The others were pretty wiped, so we pretty much came straight back."

"Oh!" She gasped. "Casey, come quickly, the baby's moving again!"

He rushed over to her, a massive smile splitting his face. He placed his hand gently on her abdomen, laughing as he felt the movement of his child within her. He held her waist and kissed her abdomen softly.

"Thanks junior." He whispered. "You made getting up at this time worth it."

He stood up to his full height, looking Camille in the eyes. Seeing her standing before him in the kitchen, he was overcome. He ran a hand gently across her cheek.

"I love you." He told her, pulling into a long, passionate kiss. As they embraced in the kitchen with seemingly the entire world still asleep, the world seemed to exist purely for them. Placing his hand once more on her stomach, Casey considered his new life and smiled. He never thought he could be so happy.


	2. Grandpa Talk

Lily woke up to find herself alone in the bed. She hadn't gotten any sleep on the plane, thanks largely to a very drunk Fran, but even she couldn't have foreseen sleeping this late. Looking at the digital alarm clock, she saw that it was now 4pm. Getting up, she quickly pulled on her clothes, going in search of her husband.

Coming into the back room, she found Dominic there with Gabby, chatting away about everything and nothing. They stopped as they saw her.

"Well it's about time you surfaced." Dom chuckled. "I take it the flight took a lot out of you."

"Put it this way, Fran and champagne? Not a good mix." She replied. "Anyway, where's RJ?"

"He's in the restaurant with Flit." He told her. "He didn't want to disturb you."

"As if he could." She sniggered in response. "Did he tell you anything?"

"Just that he enjoyed the honeymoon." Gabby stated. "Do you want something to eat? Dom and I just made some popcorn."

"Popcorn?" She asked.

"We rented a movie, Best of the Best." Dom informed her. "You're welcome to join us."

"That's a generous offer considering it's my apartment." She responded. "But I suppose the temple doesn't really have DVD players. You go ahead."

"Thanks Lily." Gabby rushed out, leaning in and kissing Dom's cheek. "I'll start it up. Get the sodas."

Lily raised her eyebrows and came over to the Rhino Ranger as Gabby bounded enthusiastically over to the TV.

"What?" He asked.

"Are you two...?" She asked, nodding knowingly.

"We kind of got caught in a moment at the wedding." He admitted. "You know what they say about the Best Man and the bridesmaid."

"Seriously?" She asked. "She was always so timid..."

"There's a lot more to her than that." He interrupted. "I've found that out recently."

"Does Master Phant know?" Lily asked him.

"Are you crazy? Of course he doesn't!" Dominic stammered as he shifted uneasily. "Like that's a conversation I want to have."

"He's really protective of her." Lily reminded him. "You'll have to tell him at some point."

"Well excuse me if I'm a little afraid to tell a Pai Zhuq master I put the moves on his niece." He laughed. "I know I have to tell him eventually, but at the moment we're just seeing where things go. Right now even we don't know what we're doing. We're just kind of...hanging out and seeing where things go, you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand." Lily told him, looking over to where Gabby was fast-forwarding through the trailers. "I hope you're happy."

"I am." He replied with a grin, gathering the bowl of popcorn and some sodas in his arms. "She's great."

"Dom, the movie's starting!" Gabby yelled, calling his attention. "Where's the popcorn?"

Lily took the opportunity to leave them alone. Gabby wasn't much younger than herself, and she was certain Dom wouldn't take advantage of her. Seeing him put an arm around her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, she thought about how much they reminded her of herself and RJ in the beginning. Gabby was a lot more self-conscious than Lily had been early on, but that was just part of who she was, and Dom was confident enough for both of them. If nothing else, even if nothing came out of the relationship in the long term, she was sure hanging around Dom would be good for her. As much as Master Phant had wanted Lily to coach her for the dance contest to help with her confidence, she was sure that Dom was just as good for her.

Arriving in the restaurant, she found RJ with Flit and Master Finn. He was just standing back out the way as they handled everything. Flit was still wearing the large glasses, but his movements were a lot less jerky and unstable. Obviously he was starting to get used to his new human body. Meanwhile she could see what Casey had said about Master Finn. He seemed to be having the time of his life making pizzas. She never thought of him enjoying that.

"It looks like you weren't needed down here after all." Lily remarked, seeing how Flit and Master Finn were coping.

"I guess not." He replied, holding her and kissing the top of her head as she arrived. "So how have things been while we were gone?"

"Business has been great." Flit informed him. "All this great weather has encouraged people to eat out more often."

"And the new construction site down the street's been ordering take out by the truckload." Master Finn interjected. "All in, I'd say things are great here."

"Well I have to say I'm impressed." RJ said with a smile. "I never thought I'd say this, but I might just take vacations more often."

"No you won't, you'd miss the place too much." Lily teased him. "I'm not kidding; I caught him behind the counter at the hotel making pizzas. I don't think he knows what to do with himself if he isn't working."

"Well, hopefully he learns to take a little time to enjoy being married." Finn sighed. "I remember his mother never stopped complaining about how much time I spent training until RJ came along."

"Well he better not miss out on anything when we have kids." Lily said playfully smacking his chest.

"OK, I think that's enough of that kind of talk." Master Finn chuckled. "I wouldn't want you to age me into an early grave with baby talk."

"Well, that might be a bit of a problem." RJ said with a slightly pained expression on his face. He had wanted to wait and have all of the guys together for the announcement, but he figured this was as good an opportunity to tell him as any. "Lily told me just before we left that we're expecting our first baby."

"Seriously?" Finn asked her. Lily just nodded and placed a hand on her abdomen gently.

"I'm about 7 weeks along." She told them. Master Finn crossed the room, hugging his daughter-in-law warmly, a huge smile on his face at the news.

"Well forget what I said before, I couldn't be happier for you!" He told them, shaking RJ's hand strongly. "Congratulations son."

"Thanks dad, I'm really glad you're cool with this." He stated as Flit also shook his hand to congratulate them. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Well, just remember that when the three AM feeds start." He laughed. "And you have yet to experience the true joys of a full nappy."

"Well I did change Stephanie a few times when I saw her." RJ replied. "I just never thought my practice would be put to use so quickly."

"It's bizarre to think that she'll be an auntie before she's three." Lily mused.

"I'll give you one tip right now, if it's a boy never lean over him when you take off his nappy." Finn told them. "I remember getting a face full of..."

"Dad, do we have to?" RJ asked, trying to avoid the embarrassment. "I mean, seriously..."

"Trust me RJ, there's no greater joy than being a grandparent." He put down. "I get all the joys of being a parent, but I'll get to hand the baby back when it comes to changing time."

"Well that's one down." Lily sighed. "Now I just have to find a way to tell my dad."

"Just as well he's a couple of thousand miles away." RJ replied thoughtfully. "I really could live without the suicidal gesture of calling him grandpa."

"What about Megan?" Lily asked. "I'm about to make her a grandmother."

"Well in the meantime, I think we should invite the others around." RJ suggested. "I think it's only fair they all know our news."

"I'm sure Camille will be happy to know she isn't the only one that'll be going through the joys of pregnancy." Lily said thoughtfully, kissing RJ's cheek. "You call the guys; I have to call my dad."

"That definitely sounds like an idea." RJ replied. "I think I'd rather talk to your dad about this AFTER he's gotten used to the idea."

At the temple, Jarrod was just finishing up with his classes for the day. He had been a bit reluctant at first to take over his dad's position as Temple Master, but he was now finding his stride. He never doubted that he wanted to return to the temple; it was the only place that he felt like he had a home, he just didn't feel like he deserved to be the head trainer there. Dom has gone to keep the restaurant going while RJ was on honeymoon, but other than that, he helped him at the temple. He was glad for that, and it was the only reason he felt like he could take on the task. Now though, he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

As he gathered his kit bag, he heard the distinctive sound of his ringtone, Circle of Life from the Lion King, ringing, letting him know he was getting a call. He checked caller ID to see who it was, and smiled as he saw that it was RJ.

"You got back then!" Jarrod said with a smile. "How was the trip?"

"Hawaii's great, I could have stayed there forever!" He remarked. "It's great to be back though."

"I guess this is the invite to see all your holiday snaps." Jarrod chuckled. "When am I meant to be there?"

"About 7:30." RJ replied. "I'll have dinner ready; we'll make a night of it."

"That sounds great!" Jarrod replied, mopping his face with a towel. "I'll be there. Oh, and tell that brother of mine to get off his ass and help for a change."

"Dom! Jarrod's telling you to get off your butt and help prepare for tonight." He called over. Dom just waved him off over his shoulder. "I need to call the others, we'll see you tonight."

Fran was just showering, cleaning herself up after her rest as Theo began looking out something for them to eat. Seeing her enter the room, he couldn't help but laugh. She looked more than a little worse for wear after all the complimentary champagne on the flight.

"Still not slept it off?" He asked her. Fran just groaned and sat on the couch beside him, pulling his arms around her in a sympathy hug.

"I am never drinking again." She grumbled. "My head's killing me."

"Would you like an aspirin?" He asked her. Fran just nodded weakly. She genuinely did feel awful. She wasn't used to drinking much, and the champagne had gone to her head. She still couldn't believe how ill she felt.

"Well, at least you enjoyed getting this way." He sniggered at her plight, getting up to go to the medicine cabinet. Fran just settled into the cushions to rest. "So when do you go back to college?"

"I have another couple of days off." She replied. "When are you going back to work?"

"I have a shift at Casey's gym tomorrow." He informed her. "RJ will probably let me know when he wants me to work soon."

Almost on cue, Fran's cell phone started ringing. She saw that it was RJ and answered.

"Hey RJ, we were just talking about you." Fran answered. "When are you expecting us back?"

"Well, we can talk about that tonight." RJ told her. "We were planning a little get-together before we all get back to routine to celebrate us getting back."

"Well that'll be great." Fran replied, her spirits lifting a little at the thought of getting together with all of the guys. "I guess you're going to be telling everyone your news."

"Well, it's only fair everyone knows." He confirmed. "After all, there's going to be a few more shifts up for offer in the next couple of months when Lily starts easing back."

"We'll do what we can." She said with a smile. "After all, next semester's tuition fees will be due soon."

"Well I'm also hoping that Gabby can continue to work here too." RJ interjected. "Business is really picking up, I was thinking about expanding the restaurant."

"Well I know you've had your eye on that empty building next door for a while now." She conceded. "We'll be round at about 7:30."

"We'll see you then." He answered, hanging up. He was still excited to think about everyone's reaction when he told them. His dad, Casey, Theo and Fran now all knew, and he was looking forward to telling the others. Despite being his oldest friends, he hadn't yet told Dominic or Swoop, he wanted Michael and Finn to know first. Casey though had figured it out by himself. Having cared for Camille for the last six months, he was well aware of the signs and had figured out that Lily was pregnant, but RJ knew he wouldn't say anything. It was their news to spread.

"Well my dad just got off the phone." Lily told him as she came to his side. "He was a little surprised, but he said he's happy for us."

"Well that's one thing at least." He answered, putting his arm around her. "Now we can focus on telling the others."

Later in the evening, all of the former Rangers assembled in the apartment as they prepared for what they were sure was just going to be a night of looking at photographs and hearing about their holiday. Dominic sat on the other side of the room from Gabby as Master Phant sat with her. Lily had to try hard not to laugh as she saw them occasionally exchanging a little glance. It was quite sweet and also quite funny. The mighty rhino was scared of a 72 year old man.

"So when are we going to hear all about this trip?" Swoop asked as he came into the room, carrying a bottle of wine. Fran seemed to grow a little paler just looking at it. Obviously she still hadn't really recovered from her hangover.

"All in good time." RJ announced. "Firstly, Lily and I have a little announcement we'd like to make."

Lily pulled into RJ's arms and smiled as she prepared to give them the news. "We're having a baby."

"That's wonderful news!" Phant yelled as he got to his feet. Lily made her way over to him, kissing his cheek as he gave her a tight hug. "I always knew the two of you were made for each other."

"Well at least I'm not going to be suffering alone." Camille said thoughtfully. "Welcome to the club."

"Well I guess that's the start of your own little pack now RJ." Swoop said with a smile. "Congratulations."

"To new beginnings." Jarrod announced, raising a glass. Everyone else in the room, with the exception of Fran who was still feeling a little ill, all raised their glasses in a toast.

"New beginnings!" They all chorused together, celebrating the new life. Lily returned to RJ's arms and held her stomach, smiling contentedly. This was where she always wanted to be. With her family.


	3. Gabby's Admirer

The next day, Gabby found her day moving very quickly. Ever since the wedding when she and Dom had their moment together, her days always seemed to go by quickly.

She was now in her senior year at High School, and the semester was already past the half way point. It was now only a few months until she would be sitting her exams and awaiting the beginning of college. Ever since the dance contest Lily had coached her for, she had competed in more than a few others, and was now enjoying them immensely. One of them had even landed her a scholarship with a local college, and so now she was just seeing how her exams turned out to see what electives she was eligible for.

Approaching her locker, she smiled as she thought about her shift tonight. She never would have expected to enjoy a part-time job, she had only taken it on to earn some money for college, and to help out Lily and RJ, but that was all before the wedding. She remembered the night fondly.

She was sitting on a bench outside the main reception hall, playing with her corsage. She didn't even know why she was invited. Sure she and Lily were friends, but she didn't really know that many other people at the wedding. She knew her uncle, and she knew RJ, but she hadn't really spoken to the others too much.

She hated weddings. She knew they were happy occasions, but to her they were always painful reminders of how crushingly lonely she could be. She didn't have many friends; in truth she didn't have any apart from Lily. She just found it difficult to let down her barriers and let anyone in. She was always so scared of being judged that she tended to keep to herself. She had always been that way. Until Lily and her uncle had all but dragged her onto the dance floor for that competition, she just never had the nerve to try in case she failed.

She didn't notice as Dominic sat down next to her. He unclipped his bow-tie and undid the top two buttons of his shirt. Like RJ, he wasn't used to dressing formally, and was clearly uncomfortable in his rented tux.

"Are you taking a time-out too?" He asked her, seeing Gabby sitting there. He had seen her around, but he didn't know her terribly well. All he really knew about her was that she was a little younger than Lily, she was Master Phant's niece, and that she had been taking dance lessons from Lily at one point. The young girl looked up at him.

"I don't really know anyone in there." She sighed. "To be honest I don't know why I came."

"You came for Lily and RJ." He reminded her. "Besides, it's a fun day."

"Then why are you out here?" She asked him.

"I'm sitting at the top table." He sighed as he took a sip of his champagne glass. "I'm there with the happy couples, and I just needed a little time away from the floor show."

Gabby laughed. While she wasn't really close to anyone at the school, she had spent so much time hanging around she was well aware of how it felt to be around the romantic and affectionate displays as couples groped each other. She could totally sympathise with his position being the only singleton at the table.

"I'm sure they mean nothing by it." She told him, gently holding his hand. "I know how it is to be the third wheel."

Dominic looked at her with a considered gaze. He had noticed her before when she was in the apartment training with Lily, but now she looked so different. She looked so beautiful, she was attractive, that fact wasn't lost on him, but now she was breathtaking. She wasn't the same nervous, vulnerable girl Lily had to drag into the apartment to train, she was a young woman.

"I find it hard to believe you don't have a legion of guys knocking your door down." He complimented her.

"Please, I'm nothing special." She murmured, hiding her face with her hair as she was sure she was blushing. She had seen Dom around, and she was well aware of the attention he got from the female customers at the restaurant. His cheeky smile made her feel good about herself. She couldn't believe she was talking with anyone about this stuff. She never really spoke much to her parents, they were always far too busy, and she always felt too embarrassed to bring stuff like this up with her uncle. She had only really seen Dom working in the restaurant, and she knew he was attractive. His T-shirts were always a little too tight, showing off his physique. A fact she was sure was a deliberate ploy by RJ to drum up business given the reaction from the female customers.

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that." He told her. "You're really cute. I'm sure there are loads of guys who just haven't plucked up the courage to ask you out."

"Well they're hiding well." She muttered. "So how come you're riding the pine with the other singletons?"

"I just don't ever have much luck." He replied with a laugh. "The last time I asked out a girl I got turned down because my name wasn't Dominique."

"Well at least you know it's nothing about you she didn't like." Gabby sniggered, trying to imagine the scene. "Well, I guess we should put in an appearance."

"I guess we should." Dom responded, getting up and offering her his hand. "Would you like a dance?"

Gabby considered it for a moment. She knew he was likely only offering as a friendly gesture because of the occasion, but she smiled and took his hand.

"I guess we could be single together." She answered. With that, they both went back into the hall.

She arrived at her locker, opening it up to put her bag inside. Her last class of the day was gym, and they were swimming today. Putting her bag inside, she reached for her gym kit, pulling it out.

As she was about to close her locker door, she stopped. She noticed an envelope addressed to her caught just inside the grill on the door. She looked around for any sign she was being watched. The other kids were cruel and spiteful. One of the popular kids had started spreading nasty rumours about her because she wasn't part of the popular crowd. Before everyone was quite happy to leave her alone, but this girl, Jessie, had got it into her head that the reason Gabby didn't hang around with them was because she thought she was too good for them and had branded her a snob. In truth she just didn't really approach many people because of her crippling fear of rejection, but now because of her the others thought she needed to be 'taken down a peg or two.' It wouldn't have been the first time she'd received a note, text message or e-mail with a malicious edge to it.

The envelope was printed, so there was no way she could tell who had sent it. Opening the envelope, she began reading.

"Hello beautiful."

She looked around again as she read this. Was this real? She couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. No one had shown her any real interest before Dom, and even they were at the early stages of their relationship. They weren't even really boyfriend and girlfriend yet, they were just kind of testing the waters to see where things led. Satisfying herself that no one was watching, getting a laugh at her expense, she continued.

"I've seen the way the others treat you and it isn't right. I know you are so much better than the other girls here. You should never let them get to you."

She pulled the locker door closed a little for some privacy and continued reading.

"I saw you dancing at the contest last week. You were amazing. Your grace and talent are simply breathtaking. You make the entire cheerleading squad look like a herd of crippled bull elephants when you move."

She blushed a little at the compliment. She had heard a fair amount of praise since she'd started taking on the competitions, but never anything like this.

"I love watching you dance. More than that, I think you are one of the most beautiful and amazing girls I've ever seen. I am in many of your classes, and I am always amazed by you. You aren't just beautiful; you're smart, funny and considerate."

She stopped here; things were getting a little uncomfortable. It was someone in her classes, she could go with that, but the idea he was watching her was slightly unsettling.

"I wish I had the nerve to come over and speak to you, but I am too afraid."

She almost felt a little sympathy as she read this part. She could understand being afraid of social situations, she'd been afraid herself for years.

"Until I finally pluck up the courage, just know that not everyone at this school is like Jessie and her idiotic friends.

Yours Sincerely,

Your secret admirer."

Gabby folded the letter away, and shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans, before grabbing her gym equipment and making her way to class, locking her locker as she did so. She still didn't know what to make of the letter, but she dismissed it for now. She was going to be in class with Jessie and her friends, and she wanted to be on her toes for anything. In the meantime she just distracted herself with thoughts of seeing Dom during her shift tonight.

Back at JKP, Dom was preparing dough for the evening service when Casey came into the kitchen.

"You don't work here anymore remember?" Dom reminded him.

"Sorry, I just wanted to know if Lily and RJ were here." He stated. "I kind of wanted to talk to them."

"They're upstairs." Dominic told him, flicking a thumb in the direction of the stairs. "Tell RJ that we're running low on flour."

Casey nodded and headed upstairs. He couldn't help laughing as he saw RJ wandering around the place wearing the papoose Lily had bought him, which seemed to be weighted with something. He was talking to an old man with greying hair in a grey business suit as they looked over some plans. Lily meanwhile was sorting through some papers at the other side of the table.

"So I think I've outlined the viability of the purchase." RJ said to the man in the suit. "Now I just need council approval to buy the building next door."

"I see you've thought through this proposal very seriously Mr. James." The older man replied, taking off his reading glasses. "Are you sure that the business will be able to sustain such an outlay?"

"These are the figures for the first year of Jungle Karma's business." Lily told him, handing him a dossier. "And these are for the second. Despite R...erm...Mr. James's initial forecast, we are already well ahead of where we thought we'd be financially."

"Business has steadily increased over the last year to the point the current premises are no longer adequate." RJ pitched in, stretching out his back. "Midweek business is higher than most of the other restaurants in the city, and tables for Friday and Saturday nights are booked out for the next four months."

"We're already looking at the long-term projection." Lily informed him, handing him another folder. "We've almost fully paid back the loan Mr. James got from Andrew Hartford and we're still turning an impressive profit."

"My father, Captain Michael Chilman is less than a year from finishing his final tour of duty with the United States Marine Corp." Lily informed him. "He wants to retire and spend some time with his family, and was looking for a business to invest in. He's agreed to put up a share of the money needed to buy into the restaurant."

"While I've secured a business loan for the remainder from the bank," RJ chipped in, "so if the sale goes ahead, we should be ready to move ahead with this and be ready to close for renovations by January."

"We already forecast that to be our quietest month with post-Christmas cutbacks in people's spending." Lily chipped in. "With the help of a few friends and some elbow grease, we should be able to re-open within a month."

"Well this is all very impressive." The man commented with a smile. "It's so unusual to see two young people with a business plan that's so well thought out."

"Well, I have been studying business and accounting online." Lily told him. "Being a stay at home mom isn't going to be much of an option when my business is my home."

"And I've been in this business for years." RJ said happily. "So, what do you think Mr. Hoffman?"

"Well I can't speak for the rest of the council, that's still open to a vote." He informed him, getting up and offering RJ his hand. "But I for one will be supporting the purchase."

"That's excellent news." RJ rushed out, shaking the man's hand enthusiastically. Mr. Hoffman then turned to Lily, taking her hand, and leaning in, kissing her on the cheek.

"We really appreciate the support." Lily told him. "We're looking forward to what happens."

"Well, I doubt there's too much to worry about. Between you and me that building's been a waste of land for far too long." He commented. "Anyway, I must be going. Once again, congratulations on your happy news, though Mr. James?"

"Please, call me RJ, everyone does." He replied with a bright smile.

"When you come to the town hall for the meeting, you may want to consider leaving 'junior', at home." He chuckled, gesturing to the papoose. "I'll see you two later."

Lily and RJ hugged with excitement as Mr. Hoffman left. Casey came over to RJ laughing.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He sniggered, gesturing to the papoose.

"I'm just getting in practice for when the little one comes." He replied, cradling the baby carrier strapped to his chest. "Also, Lily's maternity books say it shows a sign of sympathy which makes the mother feel at ease if the father shares the burden by simulating pregnancy himself."

"RJ, you do know it'll be at least another month until Lily starts to show right?" He stated from his experiences with Camille. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask the two of you if you'd mind Camille and I staying for a couple of days."

"Of course not." RJ told him. "Why what's happening?"

"My mom and my sisters are coming into town for a few days." He replied. "My apartment's too small and I can't afford a motel room."

"So you're moving out of your OWN apartment?" Lily giggled. "Now that is too cute."

"Well I figured that we'd be more likely to be accepted as house guests than my mom and sisters." He replied.

"Don't be silly Casey, I've met your mom, and she's a wonderful woman." RJ reminded him. "They can stay here. It'll be easier than moving all of Camille's stuff over here."

"Thanks RJ, you have no idea how much of a lifesaver you are." Casey rushed out. "Anyway, I've got to go, if I don't get back to Camille with a couple of bacon double cheeseburgers soon, my life won't be worth living."

He stopped in his tracks as he was about to leave. "Oh, Dom asked me to tell you he's running low on flour."

"Oh, right, sorry about that." RJ commented, loosening the straps on the papoose and pulling out a large bag of flour, presenting it to Casey. "I guess that's my bad."

"You know what?" Casey replied. "I think I'll just tell Dom he needs to do a store run." With that, he turned and left RJ and Lily alone. RJ cradled the bag of flour in his arms.

"I think he looks like me." He joked. Lily just shoved him away playfully and left the room.

After swimming, Gabby went back to the changing room, getting her stuff together after her shower. She was getting dressed when she realised she couldn't find her scrunchie. She was sure she had it in her locker. She looked around intently for it, finding that she couldn't see it anywhere. She began looking around under the benches in case she had accidently dropped it, but still couldn't find it.

"Are you looking for something?" Jessie sneered. Gabby got to her feet, turning to face her.

"What did you do with it?" She demanded.

"Do with what?" Jessie asked her as her friends gathered around.

"My scrunchie, it's gone." Gabby snapped in reply. "Now give it back!"

"Please, what would I want with your scrunchie?" Jessie asked her in a sarcastic tone. "It's not like you have any kind of style I'd like to steal."

"Ladies, the bell has rung, I'm sure you know that means it's home time." The coach announced, seeing the beginnings of a scene forming. Jessie and her friends left as Gabby gathered the last of her wet things into her bag. She resigned herself to the fact that her scrunchie was lost and just made her way towards the parking lot. She hated Jessie and her friends, but she didn't have any proof they even had anything to do with it. Still, in the long run, stealing her scrunchie was a pretty lame joke to pull. Gabby got into her car and made her way to JKP, parking nearby.

She arrived, finding Lily in the restaurant talking to Flit and Dom.

"Lily, do you have a scrunchie I could borrow?" She asked her in a groan.

"Sure Gabby." She replied, showing her upstairs. Dom smiled as he saw her follow Lily up to the back room to get changed. Flit snapped his fingers in front of Dom's face as he saw him being distracted by Gabby's arrival.

"You're playing with fire, you know that right?" He asked him in a chuckle. "Little miss elephant's going to get you into serious trouble one day."

"Her spirit's a hummingbird actually." Dom replied without thinking. Flit just looked at him in disbelief.

"She only started training under Master Phant a few weeks ago." Flit reminded him. "How would you know that?"

"She...ummm...." Dom flashed red as he tried to think of a way he wouldn't incriminate himself. "She kind of...showed me."

"She showed you her animal spirit out with training?" Flit gasped. "You know she shouldn't be calling it...mmmmmm." His words tailed off as Dom clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"I know she shouldn't be calling it regularly yet, but she was just so excited she had to show me." He replied. "I felt good about the fact she could show me that."

"Well I hope it all seems worth it when Master Phant finds out." Flit laughed at his expense. "Something tells me you are not looking forward to that conversation."

The rest of the night went by quickly. Gabby was a little disappointed really, for a weeknight it was incredibly busy, and so she didn't really get much of a chance to stop and speak with Dom much. As the last customer left, she flipped the sign to close the restaurant.

"That was some night." She groaned. "I need a hug!"

"I think I can oblige there." Dom replied with a smile, putting his arm around her. Gabby smiled and pulled into him a little as she enjoyed the warmth of his arms. Although she didn't get a chance to spend much time with him tonight, she couldn't be disappointed to be here now. This made it all worth it. Flit came in with a large portion of garlic bread and dipping sauces.

"Well we made a killing on tips." He remarked. "Almost sixty bucks ahead! We should have more nights like this."

"Well, I'd love to stay longer, but I have school tomorrow." She stated, pulling the yellow scrunchie out of her hair and handing it to Dom, kissing him softly. "Tell Lily I said thanks."

"I will." He replied with a goofy grin as he watched her leave. Flit waved a hand in front of Dom's face.

"Playing with fire remember." He commented. "Master Phant would squash you if he thought you were putting the moves on her."

"You know what Flit?" He asked, picking up some garlic bread and dipping it into chilli sauce. "I think she might just be worth it."

As Gabby approached her car, she groaned when she saw something under the windshield wiper. She knew she wasn't in a restricted zone, so it was likely just some advert or other. She lifted up the wiper, seeing that it was another envelope, just like the one from her locker. She looked around nervously to see if the person who left it there was still around. She opened it.

"I saw you tonight, you looked amazing. Green is really your colour." The note began.

Gabby looked around again, finding no one in sight.

"You look amazing, even in that ridiculous uniform they make you wear. You deserve someone that can make you happy. You don't deserve to have to bus tables like that. You deserve to be treated like a queen."

Gabby flushed a little as she thought about this. Sure it was unusual to be getting notes this way, but the guy was complimenting her. It was a little weird, but what he was saying was kind of sweet.

"I look forward to seeing you again.

Your secret admirer."

Gabby put the note away without another thought and got into her car, driving away. Her admirer watched on from his own car a little way away, her scrunchie held tightly in his hand.

"I look forward to seeing you again." He whispered.


	4. Courting

Somewhere on the edge of town, a kid pulled his car into the driveway of a small house, coming to a halt on the gravel path a short way from the door.

Opening the door of his red Fiesta, he stopped for a second looking down longingly at the pink scrunchie in his hand. He had taken it earlier in the day. It might not be much, but it was hers. It belonged to her, it had touched her, and right now it was the closest thing he had to her. He shoved it into the pocket of his letterman jacket and made his way into his house. He always thought of it as a house, never his home. It hadn't been a home to him since his mom left.

He unlocked the door quietly, he made his way inside. He was way past curfew, and he didn't want to risk his father finding out. He needn't have worried; as usual his father had fallen asleep on the couch with a beer in his hand. Since his wife walked out, he had taken to spending longer and longer sitting in front of the television watching football or hockey and drinking beer. He had simply stopped caring about things since his wife left. He was only really able to function because he stopped drinking long enough to go to work at the building site each day.

The kid made his way over, putting a jacket over him. His father had once been a strong, confident man, but a year ago, that had all changed. He didn't care about much now; he sure as hell didn't care about his son. All he cared about now was this miserable existence of getting up each morning, managing his way through a shift without killing himself, and then coming home to a microwaveable tray of what was apparently food and a couple of dozen beers.

He made his way up to his bedroom and sat on his bed, holding his head in his hands and clutched his hair in anger. He hated the way things were now. He almost wished his dad had found him coming home at this time. If he screamed at him, then that would at least make it feel like he cared. There was only one thing that got him out of bed each day now.

He opened the drawer of his dresser, sorting through the large collection of newspaper cuttings and pictures he had collected, pulling out his favourite. It was a picture of Gabby on the podium the day of the first dance competition she had won. He had taken it himself with his dad's Polaroid, he knew he wouldn't miss it, he was too busy with ESPN to realise his camera was gone.

Even here she was beautiful. Her face shone as light reflected off her sweat, but this was the moment he knew he was in love with her. Her smile split her face and lit up the room. She looked amazing in her pale pink leotard. The red sash running from her right shoulder to her left hip declared her to be the winner, as did the large, gauche trophy she cradled in her left arm. The gigantic, tinplated monstrosity looked totally out of place next to her small, delicate features. He dragged his fingers across the picture, imagining what it would be like on the day he could touch her for real, when she would realise who he was and return his love for her. He knew she got hassle from a lot of the girls at the school, he had seen the way they behaved towards her, and he had heard their hurtful words. None of them seemed to see what he did, she didn't deserve their treatment, she was so much better than all of them.

He pulled her scrunchie out of his pocket and lifted it to his nose, breathing in her scent. The sweet smell of her lotus flower shampoo filled his nostrils and thrilled him. His heart beat faster as he realised he now had something of hers as his own. Turning onto the bed, he lay down with it wrapped around his fingers, clutching it to him as he longed to do with her and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Gabby woke up in her parent's house, stretching awake as she greeted another new day. She wiped her eyes clear and made her way into the shower, pondering the day ahead. She didn't have to work today, but Dom had asked her to go to the cinema for the opening of the latest blockbuster with him. She looked forward to seeing him. When he found out her afternoon consisted entirely of study periods, he had pounced on the chance to enjoy an afternoon with her. She only had four classes before she would be going to see him, and it excited her to think about it. He had told her what they were going to see, but in truth she stopped listening after saying that they were going out together. It was going to be essentially their first date.

After showering, she began getting dressed, looking out her favourite jumper. She had always been told she looked good in it, and she was hoping to get close to him. She still hadn't told her uncle about him, up until now they were only really hanging out together, but she was really enjoying herself with him. He made her feel amazing about herself; she was beginning to get the feeling that there might be something there.

As she gathered her jeans, she stopped as the letters fell out of her pocket. She had almost forgotten about them. She looked at them again. It was a little weird; she thought most guys stopped leaving notes for girls in grade school. She read over them again, feeling herself flushing a little. It was most likely only a kid with a crush or something, and it was kind of sweet. Until Dom, no one had ever shown that kind of interest in her. The words were kind of sweet and she couldn't help feeling good that someone thought she was attractive. No one had given her much thought; she definitely hadn't been called beautiful, or considered appealing, guys tended to avoid her. She tossed them into her waste paper basket without another thought. While it was nice to have someone consider her that way, never mind two, felt quite good, her thoughts were with Dom. She was sure that whoever had left her those notes would get bored and move on soon.

Dom had the day off from the restaurant, just one of the reasons he was keen to spend time with Gabby, but he figured he should spend the time until then productively. He pushed his way through the woods, eventually finding himself in the clearing outside Master Phant's house. The old master was busy tending to his garden as Dom arrived. Seeing him, he placed his hoe against the wall and smiled.

"Dominic!" He yelled loudly in greeting, extending a hand towards him. "How are you?"

Dominic smiled nervously and made his way over to the Elephant Master, shaking his hand. He seemed to be in a good mood; that stood in Dom's favour since he was planning on bringing up the subject of him and Gabby. The last thing he wanted was to find out what the business end of the Jungle Mace felt like.

"I'm good thanks." He began, struggling to think of how to bring up the subject. He looked around the garden and gestured to the beds. "What are you growing?"

"A few shrubs, some flowers. This year I thought I'd experiment with some peas and some carrots." He told him. "Did you want to talk to me about my garden?"

"Not exactly." Dom said, feeling his throat tightening a little. He stroked his neck as he looked at Master Phant. "It's about Gabby..."

"Is she alright?" Phant asked him. "Has she said anything? I know she isn't the happiest at school..."

"She's fine." Dominic interrupted him. "She isn't keen on school, but she managed to keep her head down and study."

"Oh good, I was a little worried." He responded. "She started training under me a few weeks ago and I was worried in case my training was getting in the way. She's at such an important time in her life."

"Yeah, I know." Dominic mumbled. He knew that Gabby's senior year was important to her, and as much as they were having fun, he wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardise her future. She was so smart; he wanted her to do well. He looked back to Master Phant. "She...ummm...she just seemed to be...distracted."

Dom kicked himself as he realised he had chickened out of just telling him.

"Distracted how?" Phant asked him.

"I...You know...I'm probably worried about nothing." Dominic stammered, beginning to walk away. He stumbled over his own feet as he retreated. "It was just an impression I got. I...gotta go!"

As Dom left as quickly as dignity would allow, he had a small laugh to himself. The door to his house opened and Swoop came out to join him.

"Why didn't you put the poor boy out his misery and tell him you know about him and Gabby?" He asked in a snigger at the usually fearless Dom's nerves.

"Oh let an old man have some fun Swoop." Phant answered, looking down the path. "I saw how they were at the wedding, and even you can see that something has been happening since then."

"But you know Dominic's a good person." Swoop confirmed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know he'd never do anything to hurt her, and even you can admit she's come out of her shell a lot since they started dating."

"I know he's really good for her." Phant chuckled cheekily. "Of course that doesn't mean I can't be flattered to know I still have it. It's kind of an ego boost to know he's so scared of me."

"Just promise you'll let the poor boy off the hook soon." Swoop laughed as he left.

"I can't promise that Swoop." He called after him. He turned his attention back to his garden and laughed to himself. "Oh to be young again."

Gabby arrived at her locker following her last class of the day. Opening it, she threw her bag carelessly inside, she stopped as she realised there was another letter inside.

She looked around for some sign of anyone watching her. There were students all around, it would be impossible to tell in this crowd if anyone was watching. She opened the letter a little nervously this time and began reading.

"You look even more beautiful today than normal." It began. She pulled her hair over her face and the locker door closed a little for privacy. She had already figured that it had to be someone at the school. "I saw you after gym yesterday; you should wear your hair down more often. I love you in that sweater. It looks so warm and comfortable. I'd just love to hold you."

She held in a gasp at this. OK, she figured that this guy liked her, but this was getting a little close for comfort. She didn't even know who he was, and now he was talking about touching her. More than that, he had mentioned the fact she had worn her hair down the day before, after she had lost her scrunchie, she was sure she could remember him saying something about her uniform in the letter she found on her car, and now he mentioned what she was wearing today. She'd only had four classes; he must have been in at least one of them, and he knew where she worked.

"I long to hold you, to smell your hair, to feel your soft lips on mine..."

She almost collapsed there and then. She felt her chest tighten as she read the rest of the letter. She was feeling more than a little creeped out by the fact that this guy seemed to be watching her, and that she still had no idea who it could be. She looked around again, drawing into herself as she felt a shiver up her spine. For all she knew he could have been watching her right now.

She turned to close her locker, but stopped as she noticed something curious. Reaching in, she pulled out a single red rose. She then remembered that this letter had been sitting inside the locker, not hanging in the grill like the last one. There was only one way that was possible. Whoever was watching her must have somehow broken into her locker!

She shoved the rose and the letter back inside and closed the locker over, beginning to panic a little as she looked around frantically. No one was obviously watching her, but again it was impossible to tell. Pulling on her denim jacket, she made her way quickly from the school and into the parking lot, making her way to her car. There, she found something on her windshield. Picking it up, she realised it was a photograph of her. More worryingly, it was a recent photo. It had been taken earlier that morning, showing her at a desk in first period science, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed dreamily out of the window, thinking about her date with Dom. She screwed the picture up in her hand and threw it on the ground before getting in her car and driving away.

As she left the school grounds, a kid came over, kneeling down and picking up the picture, straightening it out and smoothing it against his thigh. He stroked it thoughtfully. He didn't know why she had thrown the picture away; perhaps she just wanted him to have it. He knew she had to return his feelings. It wouldn't have been fair if she didn't, not since he loved her so much. Remembering that she kept the letters and the rose, he knew she had to love him too.

Gabby pulled into the parking lot at the mall, throwing her car carelessly into the parking space. Her mind was racing around at an incredible rate trying to figure out what was going on. When she got the first of the letters, she was sure the guy was just a nervous teenager, but now things seemed to be getting a little intense. He had already broken into her locker and been following her. She had taken nearly three times as long as she should getting to the mall because she got the feeling she was being followed, only to see the car she was sure was tailing her take another turn. She got out of her car, jumping as she felt a hand on her shoulder and bumping her head on the roof of her car.

"Whoa, I'm sorry about that gorgeous." Dom said apologetically as she got out of the car, rubbing the back of her head. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Sorry, I have a lot on my mind." She replied, smiling at him, despite the pain in her head. "So, where's my hug?"

Dom smiled and held her closely, taking her mind away from the events of the day. She felt completely safe with him, and she knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her while she was with him. Whoever was doing this was probably just messing with her. Thinking about it, it could have been anyone that was doing this. So far, all that had happened was someone had broken into her locker and left her a couple of notes. It wouldn't be the first time some of the seniors greeted the new freshmen by breaking into their locker and leaving a stink bomb, so there was no shortage of people who could have gotten into her locker.

She almost felt a bit silly for being afraid as she and Dom parted. She looked into his eyes, forgetting to say anything for a while, she finally cleared her throat.

"So...um...what did you get up to today?" She asked him. Dom's smile slipped into a slightly pained expression.

"I tried to talk to your uncle." He admitted.

"Tried to?" She asked him, looking at him down her nose. Dom shrugged.

"I chickened out alright?" He answered. "Your uncle can be pretty scary when he wants to be."

"He's sweet." She replied, giggling as she put his arm around his waist. Dom put his arm around her shoulders and led her towards the cinema. Dom loved the way he felt around her. He was still too scared of what Master Phant would say to tell him, but right now, this was enough for him.

A lot of kids left the restaurant, leaving Lily and Fran to clear up. Lily slumped into a booth and rested for a second.

"You alright?" Fran asked her.

"How do those kids have so much energy?" Lily grumbled. "I mean the entire hockey team was in. Most of them have been practicing for four hours, walked here, created this..."

She gestured to the scene of destruction that was the restaurant. Somewhere among the merriment, someone had thrown a meatball, which triggered a massive food fight. They'd ended up having to throw everyone out and shut the restaurant as almost every surface was covered in pasta, sauce and pizza toppings. "And still end up running out of here like my cheetah spirit."

"Most of them don't have a baby growing inside them." Fran reminded her. "You're only 20 Lily, you're talking like you're 70."

"I feel like I'm 70." She groaned. "Where are the guys when you need them?"

"RJ'll be back soon, you know Jarrod wanted his help at the temple." Fran reminded her. "I can stay back for a little while, and Theo's coming to pick me up soon, I'm sure they'll help."

"I hate hockey season." Lily groaned, getting up from her seat and beginning to gather plates.

"If it makes you feel any better, most of them won't be back in a couple of years." Fran told her. "You need teeth to eat pizza."

"Lily laughed and continued gathering plated. She stopped as she noticed an envelope addressed to Gabby on one of the tables. Shrugging, she pinned it to the notice board, Gabby was back on shift tomorrow, her friend's note would have to wait until then.

Meanwhile, Gabby and Dom came back to her car after the movie, laughing and joking. She turned to face him as she got to his car.

"I had a really great time today." She told him, shifting a little nervously from one foot to another, looking into his eyes.

"So did I." He replied, holding her hand. "Crappy movie and all."

"Well I for one enjoyed it." She stated, looking to her feet. "The movie wasn't great but I lov...I liked the company."

Dom smiled as he heard her verbal slip. She pulled out her car keys putting them into the lock when she felt his hand on hers.

"Gabby."

"Yes Dom?" She asked. He brushed some hair back from her face, before placing his hand softly on the back of her neck and pulling her into a long, gentle kiss. She couldn't believe he'd done that, her heart sped up considerably as she pulled away looking at him.

"I loved the company too." He told her. "I'll see you at the restaurant tomorrow night."

Gabby watched him go with a renewed sense of excitement as she got into her car. She opened her glove box to get her cell phone to see if she had her messages. She groaned as she saw there wasn't much power left, she had left it on. Normally she was so careful to switch it off and preserve power. She didn't have any missed calls or messages.

Back at his house, the admirer got back to his room, putting the picture he'd taken of Gabby into his dresser. He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the address book, before finding the one number he wanted. Gabby's.


	5. Romantic Gestures

The next day, Camille was in the kitchen, preparing a cantaloupe for breakfast. Lately her little bundle was craving fruit with an insane passion. Casey was running to the market on practically a daily basis. Finishing slicing and de-seeding the fruit, she grabbed a slice and began eating it.

"More fruit?" Casey laughed, coming into the room. "I think you're giving birth to a vegetarian."

"Good morning Casey." She replied, hugging him tightly. "So when do your family get in?"

"The flight arrives at 4PM." Casey informed her, sitting on his chair with the morning paper. "Theo's taking my classes today."

"Well he and Fran could do with the money." Camille conceded with a shrug. "What are you planning to do until then? We cleaned the apartment yesterday."

"The high school hockey season starts today." He reminded her. "The game starts at midday, so I should have plenty of time to go to the game before the flight arrives."

"You and sports." Camille groaned. "Just remember when you have to be there."

"Now I'm never going to forget that." Casey told her, reaching his arms around her, gently holding her abdomen. "They're coming in to discuss arrangements for the wedding. I don't think mom would ever forgive me if I didn't let her and my sisters fuss over you."

"I'm looking forward to seeing them again." Camille replied. "I can't believe it's only a week before we're going to the registrar's office."

"Well my mom's accepted this, but she's still old-fashioned." He reminded her. "We have to get through this before the birth, and if we wait much longer then junior here will be looking for an invitation."

"Just don't get too distracted at the game." She instructed him. "Who's playing anyway?"

"It's the Blue Bay Harbour Lions coming into town." Casey replied. "I think the Panthers have shown good form last season, it should be a good game."

"The Panthers are Gabby's school team aren't they?" Camille asked. "Maybe you'll see her there."

"I guess it's possible." He said with a shrug. "It's a shame Dom has to work this morning, I'm sure he'd have loved to take her."

He gathered up the last of his belongings and his car keys before throwing on a jacket and kissing his fiancée.

"I'll be back before five." He told her. "I'll see you later."

"Don't be late." She called after him as he left. As the door closed behind him, she went over to the couch and sat down with her plate of melon, taking a huge bite.

Meanwhile, Gabby was just finishing the last of her homework for the weekend. She had done much of it on Friday night, but she wanted to get the last of it out of the way before the game. Ice Hockey was one of the few sports she actually enjoyed. It wasn't that she enjoyed the violence, or that she had any feelings for any of the players, she just appreciated the more skilful side to the game. Many of the skaters on the team easily had the balance and poise that she admired so much about fellow dancers, and the way the control they had in their movements and the movement of the puck, she often felt many of them would make great dancers if they didn't consider it girly.

Slamming shut her maths book; she began gathering her things, getting ready to go. She wished Dom could have gone to the game with her, but he was working for the full day. RJ had to spend the day costing out materials for his proposed refurbishment of the restaurant. Still, she satisfied herself with the thought that she would see him after the game when her shift started that evening.

Picking up her cell phone, she noticed that she had a text message. She checked the profile, finding that it was not a number on her address book, and the sender had withheld their number. She also noticed that it had been sent the previous night, after she had gone to bed. She opened the message.

"Hello beautiful, how are you?"

She froze at the greeting. The guy who was sending her the notes referred to her as beautiful. How had he gotten her cell phone number? She knew it wouldn't exactly be hard, she'd had more than one malicious text from Jessie and her friends, so there were people who knew her number, but it was still a little creepy.

"I was wondering if you were going to the game today. I hope to see you there. XX"

Gabby felt a small shudder running through her at this thought. Whoever it was that sent her the messages was going to be at the game. She almost jumped out of her skin as the phone rang. She didn't want to think that it could be this guy that was following her, but seeing the caller ID, it said that it was Casey. Her hands were shaking a little as she answered the phone.

"Gabby, its Casey." He told her. "Look, I'm heading to the game today, and I wondered if you'd like a lift."

Gabby breathed a sigh of relief as a plan of action came into her mind. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to find out who this creep was. If he was at the game, then she might notice him watching her, and it wasn't as if anything would happen to her with Casey sitting in the seat next to her.

"That would be great." She rushed out a little too quickly. She cupped her hand over the receiver and took a couple of deep breaths. She didn't want anyone to worry; right now she just wanted to handle everything herself. She was sure if she figured out who this guy was she could just reason with him and let him down gently. He probably wasn't aware how he was making her feel, and if Dom got involved, then things could get out of control. He'd probably go ballistic if he knew how scared this guy was making her, and if Casey figured anything out she knew the first thing he'd do is tell Dom. "I just need to get my things together."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." He replied, thinking it was a bit odd the way she answered. It sounded like she was distracted, like she wasn't really listening to him, but he shook it off. "I'll pick you up shortly."

"Thanks Casey." She replied gratefully, hanging up. She gathered up her denim jacket and waited outside for Casey.

A few minutes before game time, Casey and Gabby arrived at the ice rink, taking up seats near the glass before the game. Gabby shifted a little in her seat, looking around for any signs of anyone looking in her direction. It would be quite a while before the stands were full, so if he was already there, she was more likely to notice him. Unfortunately she couldn't see anyone obviously watching her.

"This should be a great game." Casey stated, bringing her attention back to him. "The Panthers were great all last season."

"They only just missed out on the championship." Gabby recalled as she pulled her jacket around herself self-consciously. She still couldn't get over the feeling that she was being watched, and it made her skin crawl.

"Most of the starting line up's from your school aren't they?" Casey asked her.

"They are." Gabby told him, turning her attention to the ice. "The goaltender's name is Barry Lincoln."

"I remember him last season." Casey stated. "He only let in about a dozen shots the whole season, and three of them were the ones that lost them the title in the final."

"He's also spent more time in the sin bin than any other goalie." Gabby reminded him. "He has a habit of protecting the goal by crippling the forwards."

"That kid in the first game missed most of last season after the hit he gave him." Casey remembered, stroking his chin.

"Unfortunately our hockey coach trains his players to win that way." She stated. "Look at the defender Mark Klinski."

"The dentist?" Casey asked. "He's a kid?"

"He's a kid with a serious testosterone problem." Gabby replied. "They call him the dentist because he's knocked out more teeth than the local dental hospital."

"And both their wingers are from your school too." He continued. "Karl Mason on the left wing is being considered by at least three NHL youth teams if the rumours are true."

"And Derrick Oswald was last season's leading scorer." Gabby concluded. "Despite having spent a large part of the season in the penalty box."

Her cell phone bleeped shortly before the game was due to start. Gabby opened her text message.

"You look as beautiful as always. Enjoy the game."

Gabby quickly switched off her phone and stuffed her phone away, beginning to feel her nerves returning. He could see her. She shifted a little closer to Casey on her seat as the players began to file out onto the ice.

Meanwhile her admirer sat on the bench, watching her. He stroked her scrunchie nervously as he listened to the coach's final briefing. He had heard the exact same speech hundreds of times before, and didn't need to hear it again. All he needed was to see her, sitting directly across from their bench on the opposite side of the ice to motivate him. He was going to play the greatest game ever just for her. He shoved the hair band into his kit bag and zipped it closed as they got the instruction to go out onto the ice.

He glided out with a huge smile on his face as he prepared for the game. Hockey was one of the few things he could do well, and he knew that Gabby liked hockey, he had seen her at every game last season. This was the perfect opportunity to impress her. He made his way into position, awaiting the start of the game.

He got his opportunity to assert his dominance early. As the Lion's centre forward passed the puck off to his left, he surged forward, sending the winger on the receiving end flying into the glass as in incredible speed, earning a huge cry from the largely Ocean Bluff crowd, powering down the wing before flicking the puck dismissively past the goalie. He skated around the ice, celebrating, performing a backward somersault on the ice and raising his hands over his head in celebration.

"Well it's not every day you see agility like that from someone his size!" One of the announcers called over the PA system.

"It's not often you see a goal like that." The other interjected. "Ocean Bluff goes up by one less than ten seconds into the game!"

"The Coach Brooks has to be disappointed with that." The first announcer continued. "His team really needs to pull it together if they're going to have any chance whatsoever."

Following the first period, Casey went to the concession stand to get himself and Gabby some snacks while she kept their seats. She still found it troubling to think that someone was there watching her. She switched on her cell phone, planning to get another look at the messages, only to find her phone bleeping. She had been sent another message, again with the number withheld. She opened it.

"Did you see the goal I scored? I scored it for you beautiful."

This comment hit her like a freight train. Whoever was watching her was one of the players! He had been on the ice in front of her the entire time. She considered this for a second. Four of the players on the team were kids at her school.

"Any time I see you, I feel like I can do anything. Your smile is the only thing that makes breathing worthwhile. XX"

She was definitely freaking out now. This guy was starting to get a little scary, and more than that, he seemed to be close to her most of the time. She switched off the phone and put it away thinking about it. She tried to narrow down the possibilities, but couldn't. All he'd said was that he scored a goal for her, but The Panthers were already up by six. Even the goalie had scored! They were completely dominating the Blue Bay Harbour team. Casey arrived back, causing her to jump as he placed a hot dog under her nose.

"Are you ok?" He asked her. "You seem kind of distracted."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about the game." She commented.

"Hey, I wouldn't count out The Lions just yet." He chuckled. "Six goals is nothing in hockey. I've seen teams come back for the win from ten behind."

"I guess you're right." She mumbled as the players came back onto the ice. She would normally be thrilled that Ocean Bluff were doing so well, but right now her mind couldn't be further from the game.

Halfway through the second period, one of the Ocean Bluff Players was powering up the wing when two defenders from the Lions came driving into him, smashing him through the glass, right next to Gabby and Casey. Casey leant across, shielding Gabby from as much of the flying glass as he could. The referees came rushing over as the players began pounding on each other ferociously following the violent assault. The whole game began to break down around them as the referees tried to regain order so that the game could continue.

Gabby finally calmed down as the players were finally restrained and escorted off the ice for their conduct. It would be quite a while before the game could continue while the glass was replaced.

The rest of the game went just as disastrously for the visiting team. The final score ended up being 15-4 to Ocean Bluff. Gabby gathered up her things as Casey put on his jacket.

"Look, I could drop you at the restaurant before I head to the airport if you want." Casey offered.

"Thanks, but I need to get home for my car." She replied, watching the players file off the ice. "Besides, my shift doesn't start for a couple of hours yet."

In truth, Gabby just wanted to get out of there before the players finished getting changed. If she did, then she knew she'd get a head start on the guy who was following her. He couldn't exactly follow her in his hockey gear.

"No problem, great game though." He replied. "I had fun. I'll see you later."

Gabby waved him goodbye and made her way out of the stadium, walking quickly up the street in the direction of her house. As she turned on her cell phone again, she jumped as it bleeped. Her blood ran cold as she got another message on her phone, knowing it would be him.

"Hey beautiful, I saw how worried you were when that fight started. I just wanted you to know I'm OK. I'll see you around XX."

She couldn't stop shaking as she read that last part. She wasn't likely to be being followed right now, but this was a stark reminder that this guy was someone she knew. He went to her school, he knew where she worked. There was no escaping him. She felt a couple of tears beginning, wiping them away quickly with the palm of her hand. She had been looking forward to her shift, but now she was considering calling in sick. Especially since she knew the hockey team was likely to be having their celebration there.

Dominic was preparing for the evening service with Fran when Gabby finally arrived. She was already half an hour late, but had finally forced herself to go. As much as it scared her to think she might run into her stalker there, she just had to see Dom. She knew he would make her feel better about herself, and just like the hockey game, nothing was likely to happen to her while he was there. Dom came over to her, kissing her cheek. His smile slipped as he saw her usual warm smile was noticeably absent from her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Nothing." She muttered, collecting her apron. Dom just looked at her unconvinced. He could tell she was lying to him, she was worried about something.

"Look, you can tell me." He said softly, putting his arm around her. She smiled nervously as he did this. She knew he wanted to help, but right now she didn't know anything. What was she going to say? Some guy was leaving a few messages for her? It's not like he could do anything for her right now anyway.

"I'm alright, I just haven't slept much." She lied, looking into his eyes. He kissed her softly, not satisfied by the resolution. He still knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to press the matter. Gabby tied her apron around her waist as she came to the counter.

"Oh, Gabby, Lily found a note for you here last night." Fran informed her, pulling the letter off the notice board and handing it to Gabby. As she opened the envelope, Fran noticed her growing paler, and her lip trembling slightly. She read the note.

"I'll be playing at the game tomorrow; I hope you come along to watch me. If you want me to score a goal for you, wear your pink sweater.

Your Admirer."

Gabby realised to her horror that she had been wearing her pink sweater at the game. He must have thought she got her note and wanted his attention. It horrified her to think that he would think she returned his obsessive feelings.

"Gabby?" She asked weakly as Gabby ran from the restaurant.

"I just need something from my car!" She called back. Arriving out by her car, she felt short of breath as she saw that inside was a massive teddy bear, almost the size of a five year old child, buckled into the passenger seat, with a dozen red roses held in its paws.

"Gabby what..." Fran's words tailed off as she found Gabby trembling uncontrollably by her car.

"Gabby what's got you so upset?"

She pointed into the car to the gifts her admirer had left her.

"The doors are locked!" She wailed as Fran put an arm around her. "He got into my car!"

"Who did?" Fran asked her. Gabby looked at her, her eyes sparkling a little as her fear overcame her.

"Fran, you've got to promise not to tell anyone." She began, handing her the note. "Please, don't tell Dom."


	6. Scary Love

Fran made excuses to Dom and got Lily to help him in the restaurant before taking her home. Gabby sat on the couch still unable to stop shaking after finding the stuffed toy in her car. As Fran came over to her with a mug of strong, sugary tea to help try and calm her down, she found her staring at the bear as though somehow expecting it to attack her.

She shivered uncontrollably at the thought that the sicko who was following her, leaving all these messages and now these gifts was able to get such easy access to her. She stared at the bear with a strange tension. Ordinarily she would have thought it was adorable, but given the circumstances under which she'd received it, it took on an almost menacing air. Despite its soft brown fur, its cute little dancing leotard and its friendly smile, its shiny button eyes almost seemed to stare at her. Fran picked it and the flowers up, dumping them out of sight behind the couch before sitting down with Gabby, placing an arm protectively around her.

"I'm sorry I feaked." She murmured softly, wiping away a tear. "You must think I'm being really pathetic."

"Not at all, I think anyone would be scared." She answered gently. "Now, tell me what's been going on."

Gabby got up from the couch and went upstairs into her room, reappearing a few minutes later with the letters. She handed them to Fran.

"A couple of days ago I got this note in my locker." She began, handing Fran the first note. She read it carefully. "It was shoved through the grill on the door; I didn't think anything of it."

"The good old high school mailing system," Fran commented, "some things never change."

"The message was really sweet, he said nice things about me, and I didn't think anything about it." She tried t hide her face as she thought about it. "If anything, I was kind of flattered. No one's ever thought of me like that. Dom's the first guy I've dated."

"I can understand that." Fran told her sagely. "I know I'd have been happy to get a letter like that when I was your age."

"I got another one later that night." She continued. "I found this one under the windshield wiper of my car."

"He came to the restaurant?" Fran asked. Gabby nodded to confirm this. "He said I looked good in my uniform. There were so many kids from school at the restaurant that night; it could have been any of them."

"So when did things start to change?" Fran asked. Gabby handed her the next note. Fran had to read it a couple of times to take it in.

"Well it's certainly not as innocent as the others." She remarked.

"He sent a rose with it." Gabby added. "He broke into my locker to put it in there."

"Someone broke into your locker and you didn't say anything?" She asked.

"Kids break into lockers all the time, I'm sure you remember how many freshmen got booby trapped with stink bombs." Gabby answered. "Even if I did say something, it could have been anyone. You know as well as I do those cameras aren't attached to anything."

"Security was never a high priority in this city." Fran agreed.

"He also put a photograph on my car windshield." She told her older friend, gulping a huge mouthful of tea. "He took a picture of me in class that morning."

"Do you still have it?" Fran asked her. Gabby shook her head. "I threw it away, I was kind of freaked when I realised he was in my class."

"How could he take a picture of you?" Fran asked in response. "You would have noticed if someone was pointing a camera…"

"He probably had an I-phone." Gabby responded in a sigh, drinking more tea. "He could have e-mailed it to himself and printed it out in the photography lab."

"Again, everyone has access to that, so it doesn't really narrow it down." Fran continued. "So what about the note at the restaurant, what did it say?"

"I think it was meant to be received next." Gabby surmised. "He asked me to wear my pink jersey if I wanted him to score a goal for me at the game."

"So he's a hockey player?" Fran inquired, beginning to think. "That's something we know at least."

"I didn't get that until I went on shift tonight." Gabby reminded her. "I wore my pink jersey…"

"So he'll think you listened to his request." Fran surmised. Gabby nodded.

"He sent me some text messages." She answered. "He said he scored a goal for me after the first period."

"Do you still have the messages?" Fran questioned her. Gabby shook her head and covered her eyes as she began to sob gently.

"I deleted them." She admitted. "I was so freaked out; I didn't know what to do, so I deleted them."

"Damn, we could have tried tracing…"

"He withheld the number anyway." Gabby interrupted, pulling into Fran more closely. "Then I found out about this in the car. Now I know how he got my cell phone number."

"Gabby, you have to tell someone about this." Fran implored her, stroking her shoulders as she held the younger woman warmly.

"I can't tell…"

"Never mind Dom and your uncle, you should be calling the police!" Fran interrupted, looking into her eyes. "He's broken into your car! That's illegal entry!"

"But what can I tell them?" Gabby asked in response. "Some guy's leaving me love letters?"

"Gabby, it's gotten a lot more serious than that." Fran reminded her. "He's broken into your locker, and into your car. He's following you, and he's stolen your cell phone number. He needs to be made to stop, look at you; you're shaking like a leaf."

"But the police can't do anything; we don't even know who this guy is." Gabby stated.

"Gabby, you're terrified of this guy." Fran put down bluntly. "You can't go on living like this."

"Please, just don't tell anyone." Gabby begged her. "I don't want…"

"Gabby, I can't do that." Fran yelled, grabbing her tightly and looking her in the eyes. She could see the fear and desperation in her eyes. "This has gone too far already."

"If Dom finds out, then he'll go after the guy, He'll get himself in trouble. That or…" Her voice tailed off a little as she looked away. "He'll think I caused it. He'll leave me."

"Gabby that won't happen. Fran assured her. "Dom's crazy about you, he'd know you never asked for any of this. This guy needs to be stopped…"

"If you don't then…" Gabby looked around, grabbing up the notes. "Then I'll burn these and deny everything, I swear it!"

Fran could tell she was serious about her threat and held up her hands. Gabby let out a sigh. "Just…If I can find out who this guy is, maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can let him know that I'm not interested without anyone getting into trouble."

Fran wasn't convinced by the plan in the slightest, but she knew Gabby would go through with burning the notes, and without them, they had no proof at all of what had been going on.

"OK, but only if you promise me that you'll let me know immediately if you get any more notes or gifts." Fran conceded.

"I promise I will." She replied, thank…"

Fran held up a hand to interrupt her, she had more conditions for her silence. "If anything more serious happens, anything at all, then we're going straight to the cops." She continued. "And if we find out who this guy is, you are not confronting him alone. I'm going with you."

"But…"

"It's either that or I drag your butt back to JKP and make you spill everything right now." Fran warned her. Gabby knew she wasn't to be denied and nodded in agreement.

"Now, keep these in a safe place." She responded, gesturing to the notes. "And if you get anything else, anything at all, then keep it safe too. We'll need everything we can get if we're going to find out who this sicko is."

"Well this isn't going to tell us anything new." Gabby snapped, picking up the teddy bear and the flowers, before walking from the room. Gabby followed her into the back yard where she dumped them in the trash.

"Hey your laundry's still hanging out." Fran commented, pointing to the clothes lines.

"Well my mom never was Ms. Domestic." Gabby groaned, picking up a laundry basket and beginning to pull down clothes. "They both work so much, I guess she just forgot to bring the laundry in."

Gabby stopped as she finished, realising something was wrong. She rummaged quickly through the basket, frantically looking for something.

"What's wrong?" Fran asked.

"It's not all here!" She shrieked, throwing the clothes back into the basket. "Some of my stuff is missing!"

She got up, her face full of rage and looked into the night.

"Are you here you sick freak?" She screamed as her tears began. "Is this how you get your kicks? Following girls around, breaking into their cars and stealing their clothes? Get out here you gutless piece of crap!"

"Gabby, let's get inside." Fran suggested, taking her in her arms protectively and leading her inside. "I'll stay until your parents get home."

As they went inside, the stalker came out of his hiding place in the bushes, making his way over to the trash can, opening the lid and retrieving the teddy bear and the roses. He couldn't believe she had just thrown his gifts away like that. He had gone to a lot of trouble to find something he was sure she'd like. He looked at the fresh Polaroid photos, he looked at her longingly. She looked so sad and lonely in the pictures. In some of them she was even crying.

Of course she was lonely. Jessie and her airheaded friends made sure of that with their vicious lies and their unjustified estrangement. No one knew her like he did. She was such an amazing woman, she deserved only the best. Clutching his gifts to his chest, he scurried away as quickly and quietly as he could. He would make sure she was given everything she deserved.

The following morning, Gabby went to school nervously. Things were getting a lot scarier for her. She hadn't slept at all after finding out her stalker had been to her house. This freak had gone so far as to steal some of her clothes. She realised her halter neck t-shirt and a few items of underwear had been taken. She didn't even want to know what this guy wanted with them.

She looked like death warmed up. Her hair just didn't want to play ball when she styled it, and she had just grabbed the first thing she could find on the floor of her bedroom. She looked very pale, and had dark circles under her eyes from her sleepless night. Getting to her locker, she opened it, breathing a huge sigh of relief as she found no new notes or photographs. She was glad that it was almost the weekend again. At least as long as she was around others, the weirdo wasn't likely to make a move.

"Hey, trying out a new look Gabby?" Jessie taunted her, coming over behind her with the usual giggling sidekicks. Gabby didn't even turn to face her or acknowledge hearing her. Right now she was more worried by the thought that this creep might be watching her right now. "I've heard hobo chic is in this season."

Gabby just ignored her, gathering her books and walking away towards her next class.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Jessie called after her. "You see, even when she's looking like a tramp she thinks she's too good to talk to us."

"Leave her alone Jessie!" A male voice rang out. Gabby halted in her tracks. Someone was standing in her defence. No one had ever done that before. Turning around, she found Mark Klinski, the hockey team's leading defender.

He was a tall kid, towering over even the other members of his team at close to six foot eight. He was also massively muscled, but moved on the ice with an amazing agility, making him perfect for a defender. His parents had moved to the U.S. from the former communist bloc around the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, bringing their son with them. His real name was Kiril, but they had changed it to Mark when he began school to make him sound more American.

He had thick, blonde hair and icy blue eyes, his face carried a small scar on the right cheek from one of his early hockey games, but other than that he was generally considered quite attractive by the girls who hung around the team. He still spoke with a little bit of an accent, especially when he was angry. His native accent made him sound fierce and aggressive, something which terrified more than one forward before they found out how he had earned the nickname "the dentist" the hard way.

"Mark?" Jessie asked, beginning to shrink away. She started playing with her hair nervously. "How are you...?"

"I told you before Jessie, I am not interested." He snapped. "Now, leave Gabby alone. She has done nothing to you."

Jessie and her friends all slinked away sheepishly, leaving him alone with Gabby. He came over to her, touching her shoulder, which she jerked away quickly. He was on the hockey team, he scored a goal and he was involved in the fight, a fact that was demonstrated by his fresh black eye.

"Are you alright?" He asked as she pulled away.

"Get your hands off me!" She shrieked in response, rounding on him. Mark just looked at her a little stunned. "It's been you hasn't it?"

"Huh?" He asked.

"The notes, the photos, the flowers!" She yelled, slamming her hands into his chest. Quite a few kids were beginning to gather around at the commotion. "You've been following me haven't you?"

"But..."

"What did you want with my underwear? Is that how you get your kicks?" She continued screeching. Mark was beginning to get more than a little embarrassed as the students gathered around. He reached out to her to try and calm her down, but Gabby had had enough. She drove a hard kick into his shin which caused him to fall to one knee before driving another home into his crotch. The large student rolled around on the ground in pain.

"What the hell is going on here?" A teacher asked as he came onto the scene, separating Gabby and Mark. "Everyone else go back to class!"

Gabby was still seething. He came to her defence when no one else would have, he was on the team. It had to be him.

"This sick freak's been following me and putting notes into my locker!" She roared. The teacher looked at Mark, who seemed to be almost more horrified by the accusation than the fact he'd been assaulted.

"I never did." He grunted through his pain. "This psycho attacked me; all I did was try and help her."

"Well I bet there's something in his bag!" She snapped. "Maybe a note; or some flowers."

"No, there's nothing in my bag." He rushed out.

"Let's have a look then shall we?" Gabby snapped. Before the teacher or Mark could stop her, she had grabbed the bag and dumped all the contents on the floor. The hockey player's eyes filled with tears. There were indeed no flowers, letters or photos in his bag. Gabby's heart froze, as she realised why he didn't want her to look through his bag. There was a copy of "Muscle and Fitness" and "Gay USA" in his possessions. The teacher quickly gathered his belongings into the bag, satisfying himself that the other students were gone before comforting Mark, who by now was in tears.

"I...I'm sorry...I didn't know." Gabby stammered, realising her mistake.

"No one knows. Not even my parents." He sobbed. "If the team found out, they'd kick me out. My dad is very old fashioned. He'd disown me!"

"Gabby, you and I need to talk." The teacher reprimanded her. Mark grabbed his arm.

"I don't want to make a complaint." He rushed out. "If anyone knew..."

"Mark, I'm so sorry!" Gabby said soothingly, kneeling down in front of him. "I was just so scared. This guy's seriously creeping me out."

"Well we only have your word for it that this guy exists." The teacher said accusingly, bearing down on her. "Do you have any proof?"

Gabby wasn't carrying anything that proved the stalker existed. All of the notes were back at her place, and there wasn't one in her locker.

"I don't want to make a complaint." Mark repeated. "I understand being scared. I'm afraid the guys or my dad will find out about me all the time."

Gabby extended a hand to help him up.

"I hope you're alright." Gabby told him. "The Panthers will need 'the dentist' in time for the weekend."

The teacher wasn't at all happy with the way everything went down, but since no one involved was making a complaint, then there was really nothing he could do. No doubt by the time he got them to the principal's office they'd have come up with a cover story and deny everything. He just let them both go without another word after assuring Mark that he wouldn't tell anyone his secret.

Gabby turned up at JKP that night, feeling a little better about herself. She wanted to tell Fran what she had found out, and that the list of suspects had been narrowed down a little. She saw Lily preparing some dough.

"Gabby, are you feeling better?" She asked.

"I am." She replied. "Look, thanks for covering my shift yesterday, I came to return the favour."

"Cool." Lily chirped, whipping off her apron. "Thanks Gabby."

She pulled on her own apron as Dom came into the room. Seeing her, he smiled.

"Hey there, how are you feeling today?" He asked. Gabby smiled as she saw him. She forgot all about the embarrassing situation with Mark earlier as she saw him approaching.

"I always feel better when I see you." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. Looking deep into his eyes, she forgot all the horrible things that had been happening. She pulled him down into a long, gentle kiss.

Though at that point, she was unaware of the stalker hiding in the bushes across the street, watching her through the telescopic lens of his camera. A few tears came to his eyes as he saw this, and he felt his chest tighten. He loved her, he worshipped her, and this was how he was being repaid? She was betraying him? Cheating on him with some lowly pizza boy? He took a few pictures as the depths of her hurtful actions hit him. He longed to be there in her arms, to feel her soft kiss.

Putting away his camera, he picked up the roses he intended to bring her. He had figured that the reason she didn't like the other ones was because they were red, and her favourite colour was clearly pink. Now he knew the real reason. She was going behind his back with this nobody. He tightened his grip on the head of one of the roses, crushing it into oblivion, his blood running between his fingers as thorns dug into his hand. She was going to pay for this, and she would learn to appreciate him. Of course first of all, there was one obstacle to overcome.

The pizza boy had to go!


	7. Dangerous Games

The stalker threw his car down a narrow dirt track a little out of town carelessly, bringing it to a halt just short of the front door of an old log cabin. It was his father's fishing cabin. In happier times before his mother left, they used to come up here every other weekend to spend time together, and laze away countless hours just feeling the peace and quiet of nature in its element. He was still enraged by Gabby's betrayal. He loved her dearly and she had repaid his devotion by leaping into the arms of some pizza boy. This was the only place he ever truly felt calm. It had been a long time since his father had been sober enough or cared enough to come here, but this was the one place that was peaceful enough for him to gather his thoughts.

He threw his rejected gifts onto the bed and slumped down on the mattress, running his hands through his hair. How could she do this to him? How could she betray him like this? He loved her; he could make her happy like no one else could. He pulled out his camera, gathering the pictures from it and looking at them. His anger welled up in him as he saw his face, the face of the man who threatened to take her from him.

He looked almost like he was sneering at him as he looked into her eyes and smiled. In the next picture, he was drawing closer to her, pulling her into himself and away from her rightful place with him. Finally, the last photograph showed the horrifying image. Anger coursed through his veins like poison as he saw him press his lips to hers. He had no right to look at her, much less touch her. He screwed up the photograph and threw it across the room, feeling warm tears of frustration stinging his eyes.

He couldn't believe she would ever do anything as hurtful as this. She knew by now how he felt about her, she knew he loved her, and yet now she had stabbed him in the back.

He paced around the cabin, gathering his thoughts. Stopping near the cabinet, he opened it to look upon his collection in all its glory.

He was now the only one who came here, so he knew this was a safe place to build his shrine. All of his newspaper cuttings, all of his pictures of her, everything was on display. He grabbed the bag he'd brought with him, pulling out the underwear he'd taken from her clothes line. He arranged them carefully in place on the shelf running underneath all the pictures. Finally, he brought out the main piece of his collection. Her pink halter neck t-shirt. He had seen her wear it once in gym class, and had been breathless for the rest of the class. He held it up, sniffing it to take in her scent, before folding it carefully and placing it at the foot of the shrine, beneath the central photograph, a poster-size copy of the one he'd taken of her that day in the class room. She looked so serene, and peaceful. The sunlight caught her just right, giving her an almost angelic glow. He breathed a sigh and closed the door to the cabinet, locking it behind him, before turning to leave the cabin.

He stopped at the door and looked over to the bed. He wished he could stay here. He knew his father wouldn't have missed him, despite it being well past curfew. He'd likely be passed out on the couch again, but he would definitely notice if he wasn't back by the morning. He closed the door and got back into his car to leave, plotting how exactly he planned to resolve the situation. He needed to get rid of the pizza boy, and he needed to find a way to reach her, to let Gabby know how much her actions had hurt him. He was sure she would see the error of her ways and realise that he was the one for her. She had to.

The next day, Gabby made her way cautiously up the hall way, doing her best to ignore the side-ways glances and the audible whispers as she passed the other students in the hall. Although they had cleared out before the humiliating conclusion of the whole sorry ordeal, sparing Mark from being completely humiliated, the students were still well aware of her screaming at him and attacking him. She had already heard the words "loony" and "psycho" coming from the various whispering students. In hindsight, given the way she had acted it was hard to argue with that assessment. She had completely lost her mind when she thought that Mark was the sicko who kept following her.

She came to her locker, ignoring the sniggers of a few of the girls.

"Help! I'm a pathetic loser; I need to pretend one of the most popular guys in school's stalking me to seem interesting!" Jessie taunted her in a whining voice, trying to sound like Gabby when she was screaming. Several of the other girls laughed.

"Leave me alone Jessie." She grumbled. She tried to open her locker, only for Jessie to slam her hand into the door, holding it shut.

"So are you an outpatient? Or do they just handle your mood swings with meds?" She asked her. "I knew you were a weirdo, but I never thought you were psycho. What are you on? Prozac? Lithium?"

"Shut up Jessie, I'm not in the mood!" Gabby snapped grabbing the door and yanking it open hard. She looked stunned as she saw a cascade of flower petals fall from her locker. She knelt down, rifling through the mess on the floor. There were more than just petals there, there were whole stalks too. It looked like at one time they had been roses, but someone had chopped them into mulch. She remembered the bear with the roses in its paws. It had been holding a dozen red roses; this must have been a message because she had thrown away his gift.

"Look at this girls!" Jessie laughed. "Gabby's so desperate for attention, she's sending herself flowers. I'll give you a hint. They look better whole."

"That's enough Jessie." Mark said gruffly, arriving on the scene. He looked to Gabby sympathetically. He had some idea of what had been happening because of the incident yesterday, and could sympathise. He knelt down, helping Gabby gather the mulch as the girls left for class.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that." Gabby told him.

"I hate seeing anyone being treated like that." He replied, pulling out his sandwiches. He threw away the sandwiches and started gathering the mulch into the bag.

"Listen, I really am sorry about what happened yesterday." She stated, blushing a little at the memory.

"You were afraid, I understand that." He told her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know what it's like to be afraid; I also know what it's like to be alone."

"You were always surrounded by people." She remarked. "I never would have thought of you being alone."

"I might not have been physically alone, but I was always by myself." He informed her. "Those other guys on the team aren't my friends. They're friends with who they think I am. Those girls that keep flocking around couldn't care less about me; they just want to be with one of the team."

"Mark I..."

"I've never been able to be honest with people I'm with." He interrupted. "I might have had other people there, but I've always been alone."

"You don't have to be." She told him, taking his hand in hers. "I know. If you don't want to say anything just yet, that's your business, but I promise I won't."

"That means a lot." He sighed. "I know I'll have to admit it at some point, but I'm just not ready yet."

"Friends?" Gabby asked him, smiling at him. Mark smiled back, adjusting his grip into a handshake.

"Friends." He replied, shaking her hand. "Listen, this might not be ideal, but I want to help you."

"You want to help me?" Gabby asked.

"Like I said, I don't like to see anyone treated like this." He stated flatly. "I have practice with the guys; they'll be on the ice most of the afternoon. If you really think it's one of the team, then I'll be able to get some information."

"I'd really like any help you can give me." Gabby said gently. "Thanks Mark."

"What are friends for?" He asked.

He handed her the bag and left to go to his next class. Gabby felt something she hadn't done in a long time at the school, she felt happy. She finally had someone that was there for her.

Meanwhile the stalker was waiting in his car outside JKP. School didn't matter, not when he was in danger of losing the woman he loved. He watched as Dom went in the front door, before getting ready to act. He needed to take him out of the picture, and this was one of the few ways he could think of. Pulling a mask over his face, he grabbed a hockey stick from the back seat and made his way towards the restaurant.

Dom arrived with a bounce in his step as he found Lily cleaning up. The lunch rush had been and gone, and she was there cleaning up alone.

"Is RJ being a gentleman as usual?" He asked, snatching the rag from her hand playfully.

"It's one of the few jobs he still lets me do." She grumbled, snatching it back. "He is so anal."

"I'm sure it'll get better." He replied.

"Well book my padded cell if he starts wrapping me in cotton wool." Lily laughed. She noticed Dom's expression darken and he shoved her aside.

The stalker charged into the restaurant, his hockey stick held high and roared as he rushed his rival for Gabby's affections. He quickly found himself on the floor as Dom stepped aside and swept his legs from under him.

"Get out of here!" Lily shrieked, kicking his hockey stick aside. He caught her in return with a savage back-hand to the face, sending her sprawling into the counter, striking it stomach-first hard and falling to the floor, writhing in pain.

He rounded on Dom to be caught across the face with a hard knee. If it wasn't for the face mask, he'd probably have been knocked out cold, but he just reeled from the blow. The pizza boy grabbed him and launched him across the room, scattering several tables and chairs. As he came to press the attack, the stalker kicked him away before snatching up the stick again. He pressed it against Dom's throat as he leaned back across a table, still reeling. He pressed home, trying to squeeze the life from him.

Dom though kneed him in the gut before shoving him away far enough to drive home a palm-heel to the chest, snapping his stick in half. The attacker took the handle end and ran away, realising he had horribly underestimated his opponent. Dom gathered up the other end of the stick to give chase, but stopped as he saw Lily on the floor, grabbing her stomach in pain.

He didn't want to let this guy get away, but his first concerns were with Lily. He knew she was worried about the baby, and he didn't want to take the risk that anything had happened to it. Coming to Lily's side, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled 911.

Mark came into the locker room in time for practice, looking around suspiciously. He never was one of them, but now he had even more reason to be distrustful. One of them had been stalking Gabby. While they weren't really his friends, he didn't want to think badly of them, but he also didn't want her to live in fear any more.

He came into the locker room finding the guys there, all but two.

"Hey Barry." Mark greeted the goalie. He didn't want to give anything away, but he also had to keep his cards to his chest. From what he knew, Barry was one of the suspects. "Where are the others?"

"Derek's still too banged up to play after going through the glass the other day. He's really fine, but you know how protective coach is of the players." He began. "Karl just phoned in sick. He said his mom's in hospital or something."

"That's cool I suppose." Mark replied. "So are the others already kitted up?"

"On the ice already." He replied, pulling on his mask. "I'll see you out there."

Mark took the rare opportunity that he was on his own to check up on his team mate. He pulled open the zipper on his bag and started rifling through his stuff, finding nothing.

"You know I forgot..." Barry's words tailed off as he walked in. "What are you doing?"

Mark had to think hard, he was caught red-handed going through another guy's bag.

"My wrist's been playing up since the game." He rushed out. "I didn't want coach to know. Do you have any athletics tape?"

Barry looked at him for a while, trying to gauge his actions before letting up a little.

"Left pocket." He replied, pulling his athletics cup out of the bag and shoving it into his jock strap. "Next time just ask."

Mark took the tape and began binding his wrist. He had almost been caught red-handed, but he was glad that Barry appeared to be in the clear. He had found nothing to show that he was part of this. He just hoped that Gabby was faring better.

As the end of the day approached, Gabby went towards her car, but found a number of people gathered around it. She pushed her way through to find the horrifying scene.

In the passenger seat of her car was the bear she had thrown in the trash, ripped open with a knife rammed through its chest and covered in blood. Gabby opened the door and pulled out the message attached to it.

"I've given you everything and this is how I'm repaid you ungrateful cow?"

She felt something else in the envelope and pulled it out, finding a picture of her and Dom kissing.

"You will appreciate me! Say goodbye to pizza boy!"

Mark shoved his way through the crowd, finding Gabby reading the note.

"He's going after Dom!" She shrieked.

"I'm going with you!" He announced, getting into the passenger seat as she launched the bear into the back seat. They pulled out of the school parking lot, heading towards JKP.

They arrived, finding Dom, Fran and RJ discussing something.

"Look, if I knew what it was about I'd tell you!" Dom implored RJ. "Look, this kid jumped us with a hockey stick; I think it might be a robbery gone wrong."

"Dom, my wife, my PREGNANT wife, is being kept in hospital overnight for observation!" He snapped. "Nothing was taken, what else...?"

"Gabby!" Fran roared, coming over to her, interrupting the heated conversation. She grabbed her roughly, pulling her outside.

"Someone attacked Dom today!" She hissed. "Tell them what's happened!"

"Fran, I can't." She whispered. "Nothing else..."

"Do you call this nothing?" Mark asked, presenting the teddy bear to Fran.

"Who's this guy?" Fran asked.

"His name's Mark, he's on the team, but he isn't the stalker." Gabby rushed out.

"But..."

"I can't explain, but I know it isn't him." Gabby interrupted. She accepted the nod of understanding from Mark as a sign of their shared secret. "He's with me."

"Look, the bear's obviously a warning." Fran told her. "Dom was attacked. If it wasn't for his training, he'd be..."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Gabby sighed. "Now, we're trying..."

"Lily was hurt." Fran interrupted her. Gabby's blood ran cold as Fran told her this. "She's in the hospital."

"Is..."

"The baby's fine." Fran snapped in response. "Gabby, this has gone on too long already! People are getting hurt!"

"But Dom..."

"Dom was the one the guy attacked!" Fran snapped. "I agreed to stay quiet as long as things didn't escalate, but people are getting hurt!"

She grabbed Gabby roughly, shaking her.

"If you don't tell the others, then I will!" She barked. "It's gone too far!"

Gabby looked to Mark, before walking into the room where Dom and RJ were in the middle of a heated argument.

"Dom." She began weakly, gesturing him over to her. He was about to embrace her, but she pushed him away. She was sure he wouldn't want to know her once he heard about the letters.

"I think I might know why Lily was hurt." She admitted. "Dom, it wasn't a robbery, the guy was after you."

The stalker arrived at the fishing cabin, stumbling inside and throwing his mask aside in rage. He had never thought that the pretty boy that was taking his girlfriend away from him would be so hard to get rid of; he had confronted dozens of people on the ice and beaten the living daylights out of them. This pretty boy though had some secrets; he seemed to know how to fight. The pizza boy still needed to go, but he now knew he needed to think another way to do it. Simple confrontation wasn't the way to go. The pizza boy still had to go, and he had to find a way to make that happen!


	8. Gabby's Confession

Gabby sat in the apartment with Dom, RJ and Fran. She had said that the guy that came into the restaurant was after Dom, and that it had something to do with her. Dom sat opposite her, waiting for her to speak. She didn't know where to begin.

"So what do you know about this?" Dom asked her. "Why do you think this guy was after me? Who's this guy?"

He gestured to Mark who was standing in the corner, holding the teddy bear.

"His name's Mark Klinski, he's on the hockey team." She told him. "Dom, I didn't say anything, but lately I've been getting...letters and presents...from a guy."

"Letters?" He asked, not understanding. Gabby nodded and wiped her face as a tear began to fall. She didn't want to say anything, she had grown to care for him and she didn't want to risk losing him, but she was no longer able to keep it from him. Fran had forced her hand.

"It started a while ago, at first it seemed like some guy had a crush on me." She told him. "He wrote me some letters telling me how he felt, and complimenting me. At first I didn't think anything of it, but things started to get a little creepy."

"What happened?" RJ asked her, shifting a little closer on his seat.

"The first thing that was odd was when he gave me a rose. He broke into my locker to do it." She told them. "From there the notes started getting a little more intense. He started sending me text messages too, the things he said made me realise that he'd been following me."

"Gabby." Dom gasped, sympathising with her plight.

"He started getting a little more personal. He stole some of my stuff from me and he broke into my car to leave me that teddy and some flowers. I was so freaked out."

"You must have been terrified." Dom said sympathetically, crossing over to her side and placing an arm around her.

"I threw them out, and then things turned nasty." She sniffed, pulling into him. "He chopped the roses into mulch and left them in my locker, and then I found the teddy in my car with a note."

Mark put the teddy on the table, showing them the ruined toy. RJ picked it up, sniffing it.

"It's pig's blood." He stated. "But I think the message is pretty clear."

"He left this note with it." She told them, handing Dom the note. He saw the picture of them kissing and read the message. There was no way to misinterpret the message; it was indeed a direct threat against him. "That's how I know that guy was after you. I think it was him."

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asked her. "I could have helped you."

"I didn't think you'd want to." She admitted weakly. "I thought that maybe you'd think I led him on. I thought that you'd think I deserved it or that it was my fault."

She looked into his eyes as her tears fell a little more readily. "I thought you'd leave me."

"Gabby, the only thing that upsets me is that you didn't come to me for help. I know you'd never have wanted any of this." He cupped her cheek with his hand, stroking away a tear with his thumb. "Gabby I love you; I would never think any of this is your fault. No one deserves this."

Gabby's mouth hung open as she realised what he had said. It had just slipped out, but he didn't seem to be trying to backtrack or get out of it. She and Dom had been hanging out and dating for almost a month now, but she had no idea he had grown to care for her so much.

"Dom?" She asked him. "Did you just say...?"

He smiled at her as he realised what he had said himself. It had slipped out in the heat of the moment, but he had meant it. He had grown closer to her over their time together.

"I meant it." He told her, holding her warmly. "I love you."

"I love you too." She replied, hugging him tightly. She couldn't believe she had ever doubted him. She should have known that he would be there for her. "I'm really sorry I didn't say anything, I was so scared you'd turn you back on me. I wasn't thinking straight, I never wanted anyone to get hurt."

"Well it's too late for that now." RJ chipped in. "This guy needs to be stopped, we're calling the cops."

"But we have no way of knowing who this guy is." She stated. "He's always printed his letters, so they can't check his hand writing, and he always withheld his number when he texted me."

"All we know is that it's someone on the team." Mark interjected.

"You're on the team." Dom replied. "How do we know you don't have something to do with this?"

"It's alright Dom, I know it isn't Mark." Gabby said, grabbing his arm. "I can't explain but I know it isn't him."

"It's alright Gabby; they need to know if they're going to trust me." He told her. "I'm gay."

"I flipped out when he tried to help me the other day and I found out." Gabby confirmed.

"I did a little digging, and it appears that it isn't Barry either." He continued. "There was nothing in his bag that suggests it's him."

"Besides, I was attacked at lunch time." Dominic confirmed. "If he was at practice with you, it couldn't be him. Was anyone missing?"

"Unfortunately both the other suspects skipped practice." Mark replied. "Karl Mason and Derrick Oswald are the only other two on the team who go to our school. Karl phoned in sick, something to do with his mom going to hospital, and Derrick's still resting up after being body checked through the glass in the Blue Bay Harbour game."

"We need to tell the police." RJ protested.

"Maybe we should tell Casey's sister." Fran suggested, noting Gabby's sceptical expression. "She's a cop, maybe she can tell us what we should do."

"Fran, she's a guest, Casey's sisters and his mom are here on a holiday." He reminded her. "I'm pretty sure she won't want to talk shop."

"Hey guys, what's happening?" Casey announced cheerfully as he arrived with his mom, his sisters and Camille. "We just got back from the hospital, who wants to see the latest scans of the..." His words tailed off as he saw the ruined teddy bear on the table. "OK, I guess someone doesn't like this poor little guy."

"Someone's been stalking Fran." Dom informed him. "He left that in her car to scare her and then he came after me. He jumped me in the restaurant."

"Is everyone alright?" Casey asked.

"Lily got hurt, they say she and the baby are fine, but they want to keep her in and give her a scan in the morning to be sure." RJ told him.

"Well this is a pretty blatant threat." Susan stated, sitting down and inspecting the bear. Although they were technically 'identical' twins, his sisters couldn't be more different. While they were identical in terms of height and build, and were facially the same, that was where the similarities ended. Susan wore torn denims and a black Harley Davidson T-shirt. Her long brunette hair was always tied back in a ponytail, a habit she'd picked up at the academy. She had always been the more tomboyish of the sisters, and so no one was really shocked when she became a cop. "We should report this, but unless there's proof of who did it, there's not much that can be done."

"That's why you were so jumpy at the game." Casey surmised, seeing Gabby's expression. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I had no way to prove who did it." Gabby replied. "There are still two suspects. Either one of them could have put that thing in my car!"

"This guy broke into your car?" Susan asked. "I have an idea; show me where the car is."

Gabby took them all outside to the car, where Susan began inspecting it.

"What are you thinking sis?" Michelle asked. Unlike her sister, she took a little more care of her appearance and was a little more feminine in her attire. She reasoned that she had to style her hair practically when she was on shift at the hospital back in San Francisco, so she enjoyed taking a little time to style her hair and her make-up on her time off. She was wearing a light, yellow sun-dress with a large hat, pressed down over her long, wavy brown hair.

"It's an old car with old-fashioned locks, so..." She looked at the window, just above the lock and smiled. "Bingo!"

"What?" Gabby asked. "Did you find something?"

"The rubber seal's split slightly here." She explained, pointing out the mark. "That and the glass is slightly scratched. Whoever got into your car used a Slim Jim."

"A what?" Gabby asked.

"A Slim Jim." RJ interrupted. "It's a thin piece of metal with a hook. You slide it between the rubber seal and the window, hook the locking mechanism and pop it. Mechanics used them for years to get into cars when people locked their keys inside."

"Is there something you want to tell us?" Casey asked jokingly. "How did you know that?"

"I have one in my garage." He replied. "Let's just say my memory sometimes isn't the greatest."

"So is this a specialized piece of equipment?" Gabby asked. "Can we find out who bought one?"

"Unfortunately not." Susan replied, standing back up. "You can buy one in pretty much any auto shop. Of course if we find someone who's in the habit of carrying one around..."

"Then we've found this scum bag." Dom concluded. "Mark, are either of the others into mechanics at all?"

"Both of them take shop class." He replied in a sigh. "They built a car together for their project last semester. They share it, either one of them would know how to use a Slim Jim."

"Well at least we're closing in." Susan remarked. "Now Gabby, I know you don't want to go to the police yet, but bring me all the messages he sent you. I'll need to look at them."

"I'll take her." RJ stated, getting her car keys. "You are not going anywhere alone."

"I'll go too." Dominic chipped in, putting his arm around Gabby. "No one's going to harm you, I promise."

As the three of them left, Susan began looking over the car.

"Do you have your compact there?" She asked her sister. Michelle pulled it out, only to be horrified as Susan began brushing it around the car door.

"That cost me 80 dollars!" She shrieked.

"And I don't have a fingerprinting kit with me." Susan snapped back. "Anyway, make yourself useful and get me some Scotch tape baby brother."

Casey just groaned and went in search of some tape. He hated it when they called him 'baby brother'.

Dom waited outside to guard the car as RJ and Gabby went into the house to retrieve the letters for Susan to look at. He paced around, trying to work off some aggression. He hated the idea that someone had been tormenting Gabby so callously.

He saw an ice cream truck pulling up at the other side of the street and smiled. Looking around, he went to satisfy his sweet tooth. As he stepped onto the road though, he heard the loud roar of an engine.

Gabby and RJ came out in time to see the car hit him. Dom flew through the air, landing on the ground unconscious several feet away.

"Dom!" Gabby shrieked, rushing to his side. He was breathing, but not by much.

"There's no doubt about it." RJ told her, flipping out his cell phone and dialling 911. "I heard his engine, he was accelerating. He meant it, that guy's the stalker."

"Dom, please speak to me!" She screamed, shaking him, hoping to revive him. "Please, wake up!"

"The ambulance will be here shortly." RJ told her reassuringly as he laid a jacket over his fallen friend. "I didn't get a look at the number plate, but I did see it was a red Fiesta."

Gabby just wept hysterically over Dom's unconscious body, wordlessly praying for him to come to.

Meanwhile in the offending red Fiesta, the stalker gripped her scrunchie in his hand tightly. He had finally succeeded in clearing the path. Soon she would know how much she meant to him, soon she would be his. All he needed was to get her alone, and he had already formed a plan to make that happen.

"You'll see what kind of life I can give you." He whispered to himself. "Then you'll forget all about this pizza boy."

With that, he hit the highway, heading towards the fishing cabin. He needed to repair the car before he brought it back to his friend's house. He knew that what he was doing was right, she deserved to be happy with him, but he already knew that no one else would understand. Sometimes love needed a helping hand.


	9. An Invite to Dinner

Gabby sat nervously in the hallway of the hospital as the doctor checked on Dominic's condition. Since he had been hit by the car earlier, he had regained consciousness, which was one thing at least, but it still didn't make Gabby feel any better. It was her fault that he got hurt. The stalker only wanted to hurt him because of her. RJ came to her, shoving a paper cup of tea into her hand.

"Dominic's tough." He reminded her, sitting next to her. "He'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

"RJ, he was hit by a car." Gabby murmured, staring into her cup. "He could have been killed."

RJ wanted to say something to reassure her, but he was interrupted as the doctor came out of Dominic's room, taking off his gloves and dumping them in the bin beside the door.

"Your friend's been very lucky." He began, coming to speak to them. "He's in good health, so he seems to have avoided the worst of it. He was trying to jump clear when the car hit him, and he's tall enough that his head missed the windshield, his shoulder took the worst of the hit."

"Is he alright?" Gabby asked him, fidgeting with the cup in her hands.

"He'll be pretty sore for a while, but he'll be just fine." The doctor replied.

"C...can I see him?" She asked nervously. The doctor looked at her and smiled.

"He was just asking for you." He informed her. "Just don't stay too long. I'd like him to get some rest."

"I won't." She assured him. "Thanks doctor."

Gabby made her way into his room, finding Dominic lying on the bed, his shoulder strapped up tightly. He looked over to the door, his heart lifting as he saw her, smiling broadly at her. He pulled himself up on the bed slightly and gestured for her to come closer.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, coming to the side of the bed.

"I'm feeling a lot better now." He told her, taking her hand.

"I'm so sorry about this Dominic." She sobbed, leaning over the bed. "This is all my fault. I know you probably hate me..."

"Gabby, this wasn't your fault." He interrupted her. "You weren't driving that car. You didn't ask this guy to start following you around. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"I still just feel really guilty." She conceded. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt, that's why I tried to deal with this myself."

"Gabby, this guy's obviously got a serious problem." Dominic implored her, reaching up and stroking her cheek gently. "He's sick and he's dangerous. He needs to get help before he hurts anyone else."

"I promise I'll come and visit you tomorrow." She responded, pulling him into a tender hug.

"Well the doctors think I should be able to go home tomorrow." He informed her, looking deeply into her eyes. "Then I was kind of thinking that you and I could go and talk to your uncle."

"Are you sure?" She asked him. Dom pulled her down, bringing his lips to hers. She made him feel amazing whenever he was around her. He knew he was making the right decision.

"If we are going to be together, then we have to be honest with him." Dominic replied.

"So you're not afraid?" She asked him. Dominic smiled at her warmly and suppressed a small chuckle.

"Of course I'm afraid." He answered. "Of course, if you're with me, then I know it'll be worth it."

Gabby smiled back as he said this. She'd never felt this way about anyone before, Dom had just been run over because of her, and he was willing to confront her uncle for her. She knew he'd only do all that if he was into her. She kissed him once more before getting up to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow alright?" She asked him, gathering her belongings. "I'll tell my uncle we're coming over."

"That would be good." He replied, lying back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Gabby left the room with a little bounce in her step. Although Dom had been hurt, she couldn't help feeling better about the whole situation. She now knew how he really felt about her.

The stalker stopped at the cabin, taking the time to straighten out the damage to his car. He needed to repair it before he returned it to its co-owner. After fixing the light and replacing the windshield, he was sure that his friend wouldn't find out what he had been doing with their car.

The pizza boy was now out of the picture, now all he needed to do was get Gabby on her own. He was sure once she saw what kind of life he could offer her that she would finally return his love and appreciate him.

He pulled several lengths of chain from a bag and gathered them on the bed. He hated the thought of what he was going to have to do, but her friends had poisoned her mind against him. She would only try to run away if he brought her here, he just needed her to stay long enough to give him a chance to show her how much he loved her. He knew her timetable and knew that tomorrow was the day she had nothing but study periods in the afternoon, and so she would be going home at lunch time. He had practice, but then this was far more important. This was his best opportunity.

He opened the door to the cabinet, once more gazing at the shrine he had built to her. Soon she would be his, and they could begin their life together.

The following day, the first couple of classes went by quickly. Mark made his way into the locker room, finding the guys there beginning to kit up.

"Hey there." Barry greeted him, holding up a roll of athletics tape. "How's the wrist?"

"It's feeling a lot better today." He confirmed, remembering the lie he'd told the team's goalie to cover for looking through his bag. "I see Derrick's back."

"Yeah, well you know I don't want to sit on the bench for too long." He replied. "Coach might want me to rest up, but you know I just love getting out onto that ice."

"Well coach is away on business, so he's not going to be here to throw your butt off the ice." He replied. "So what did you get up to in your time off?"

"Not much." He replied. "Karl's had the car the last few days."

Mark's attention was grabbed as he said this. He knew that the stalker had to have a car to follow Gabby around as closely as he had been, and he knew that Karl and Derrick shared the car they built together in shop class.

"I guess he needed it when he was visiting his mom." Mark commented.

"His mom?" Derrick asked. "When did he say he was visiting his mom?"

"He called in sick for practice." Mark informed him. "He said she was in the hospital."

"Maybe she was, but she isn't there now." Derrick told him. "His mom left about two years ago."

"Left?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, she and his dad lost a baby about two and a half years ago." He informed him. "It was an ectopic pregnancy. She almost died. She was on pretty heavy meds for depression, and then about two years ago she just disappeared."

Mark's blood ran cold as he heard this. He suddenly got a horrible thought. Karl had the opportunity to attack Dom, he had the car, and now he found out he had lied about where he was during the practice session he'd missed. He crossed to his team-mate, grabbing his shirt.

"Derrick, this is important. Are you sure about all of this?" He asked him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course I am." He replied, totally confused by his friend's reaction. "He talked about it all the time in shop class. He was pretty messed up when she left."

Mark turned and sprinted from the room, leaving his stunned team mates behind. He needed to find Gabby. Now he knew who the stalker was. It was Karl.

Gabby made her way to her car, intending to leave for the day. She wasn't concentrating as she made her way to her car. All she could think about was picking up Dom and going to see her uncle. Although she loved the relationship they had, somehow this just made them seem more official. She felt good about talking to her uncle, and she hoped he approved. She valued his opinion greatly.

She let out a yelp as she felt an arm wrapping around her, pinning her arms to her sides. A hand was clamped firmly over her nose and mouth. She struggled against his grip as she felt the cold, damp cloth pressed against her face. She felt her strength leaving her as the ether began to take effect.

"Don't struggle; it'll all be over soon." She heard her attacker whisper in her ear as he dragged her around to the rear of her car. He ripped the key from her hand as she struggled with the last of her strength against him. As she finally passed out from the effects of the ether, he opened the trunk and shoved her inside. Looking around to ensure he hadn't been seen, he got into the car and sped away. Mark arrived outside just in time to see Gabby's car rushing out of the parking lot.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialled JKP, getting Fran on the other end.

"Jungle Karma Pizza, how may I help you?" She asked.

"Fran, it's Mark, Gabby left before I could get to her and tell her." He rushed out. "Karl was lying about going to see his mom in hospital."

"Excuse me?" Fran asked him.

"His mom left town two years ago and hasn't been seen since." Mark continued. "He had the car last night. Karl's the stalker!"

"Gabby's going to the hospital to pick up Dom." Fran informed him. "I'll call ahead and keep him in the loop."

"Fran, there's something else they should know. Karl wasn't in practice today." He yelled down the phone. "Tell them to keep their eyes open."

"Thanks Mark." She answered. "We need all the help we can get against this guy."

"I just hope we get a hold of Dom before she gets there." He replied, hanging up.

Gabby stirred awake some time later. She felt very sick, and her head was pounding as a result of the ether. She pulled her hands up to rub the sides of her head, finding that they had been chained together. A length of chain had been wrapped around her neck and padlocked in place. The other end was secured to a cast-iron radiator. Whoever had brought her here didn't want her to leave.

She pulled off the covers and hung her feet over the edge of the bed. Her shoes and socks had been taken, and chains had been wrapped around her ankles, allowing her about a foot of movement. She got to her feet, moving around the cabin in a slow, hobbling gait given the restriction of her restraints. She had smelled the scented candles from the moment she had come to. Making her way over to the cabinet, she threw open the doors before recoiling in shock.

The home-made shrine showed the true extent of his obsession. Newspaper clippings from every competition she'd ever entered were pasted to the insides of the cabinet. Photos of her showed her in various locations, some almost as much as six months ago. This guy had been following her all that time. Looking inside, she found all the items that had gone missing. Her underwear, her scrunchie, her halter neck t-shirt, all of them were there.

She turned sharply towards the door, steadying herself against the cabinet as she almost fell over. She gasped as he entered, finally realising the identity of her stalker.

"Karl?" She shrieked. "You did all this?"

"I went to a lot of trouble." He explained with a smile, gesturing to the table. It had been set with good china, and crystal wine glasses. "I've gotten your favourite."

He put down the grocery bag he was carrying, pulling out some salmon steaks and some salads. "I know how much you like fish. I would have caught it fresh, but I didn't have time. I promise I'll get you some for the weekend. The lake is great for..."

"Karl, what the hell are you doing?" She shrieked. "Are you insane?"

"No, I just needed to talk to you." He told her, taking her hands and leading her to the table. "Listen, I know I haven't said anything before now, but I was just so nervous."

"Karl, you can't keep me here!" She protested. "You have to let me go, please!"

"But...I...I love you." He stammered.

"No, you don't." She replied, holding his hands in hers. "You don't hurt someone you love."

"But I'd never hurt you." He assured her. "That's why I brought you here. I knew that you were being led away from me by those friends of yours..."

"Karl, you've been following me for months." She said incredulously, gesturing to the cabinet. "You threatened me, you hurt my friends. I've been terrified!"

"You were scared of me?" He asked her, slumping down into a chair, a little crest-fallen at this. "But I'd never do anything to hurt you. I love you, I could make you happy, and I know I could. I just needed to bring you here to show you that. I needed to get you away from those friends of yours..."

"Karl, this is nothing to do with my friends." She told him. "Karl, I don't love you..."

"But...you gave me that scrunchie." He protested.

"You stole it!" She reminded him.

"You wore the pink sweater to that game like I asked." He stated. "I scored that goal for you like I promised."

"Karl, I didn't get that message until after the game. I wasn't on shift that night." She explained. "I didn't mean to lead you on. I was flattered by the attention at first, but I love Dom..."

"The pizza boy!" She snapped, his mood noticeably darkening at the mention of him. "Gabby, he doesn't deserve you. You deserve better than him. He's a loser!"

"You're the loser Karl!" She roared back. "You couldn't get a date, so you followed me around and stole my stuff! You attacked my friends..."

"I needed to show you that the pizza boy was no good for you." He interrupted her.

"You hurt Lily!" She snarled. "She's pregnant Karl; she could have lost the baby!"

He stopped in his tracks as she mentioned this. It had all been when his mom became pregnant that everything went out of control. Something had gone wrong with the baby and they needed to terminate the pregnancy to save her life. His mom never forgave herself for the death of the baby. Karl held his head in his hands and wept as the memories came flooding back to him.

"Karl, you tried to kill my boyfriend." She reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This has to stop, we'll get you the help you need, just please, let me go."

"No!" He said coldly, grabbing Gabby roughly, shaking her. "You can't leave me! You just want to leave me! They all want to leave me!"

"Karl!"

"You aren't going anywhere!" He snarled, slapping her hard across the face. "All of you just want me to be alone! He can't have you, I need you!"

"Karl, I don't love you!" She told him tearfully. "Please, let me go home, I promise I'll not tell the police. I promise I'll get you help."

"Stop saying that!" He roared, pinning her to the floor and slapping her again. "I don't need help! I just need for other people to leave us alone!"

He stormed out of the cabin to work off his anger, leaving Gabby lying on the floor. She wept as she realised she was now hopelessly trapped. She was completely at Karl's mercy, and it looked as though his problems were worse than she thought.

Dom arrived in JKP, looking around frantically. He saw Fran bussing some tables and came over to her.

"Where's Gabby?" He asked her. "She was meant to pick me up at the hospital ages ago."

"She left the school at lunch time." Fran told him. "I tried to call you, but your cell phone was off."

"Fran, Gabby never came to the hospital." He told her.

"Dom, Mark called. He's figured out who the stalker is." She informed him. "We were trying to warn you to keep an eye out for him. He skipped practice."

"We've got to find her." He rushed out, the panic evident in his voice. "Fran, she promised to pick me up at the hospital. She always keeps her promises."

"You don't think..."

"Fran, Gabby would never have stood me up." He said in his panic. "I think something must have happened to her."


	10. The Search for Gabby

By the time Karl came back, Gabby had made her way back to the bed, and was attempting to work her wrists free of the chains binding them, however Karl had bound them much too tightly. He came over to the bed, gently stroking her swollen cheek.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." He told her. "I didn't want to hurt you, but you have to realise how much the thought of losing you scares me."

"Karl, I was never yours." She said sympathetically. "I never knew who you were until you brought me here. I love Dominic..."

"Stop saying that!" She roared, throwing her down onto the bed. "You can't love him, he isn't right for you. I love you..."

"But I don't love you." She replied, hoping not to anger him any further. "If you believed I loved you, why do you need these chains? Why would you need to lock me up to keep me here?"

"No, I don't believe it!" He sniffed, wiping away a tear. "I love you, I have since the first time I saw you in that competition. You have to love me back, it isn't fair."

"Sometimes love isn't fair." Gabby said soothingly, placing her hands on his shoulder and looking at him. "There's been more than one time I've adored someone who didn't know I existed. It hurts, I know it does, but that doesn't give you the right to force them to stay. You can't force someone to love you if they don't."

"No, you do love me; you just want to leave me!" He roared, forcing her onto the bed. He pulled out a rag and began soaking it in ether. Gabby struggled to free herself, but there was nothing she could do. He clamped the rag over her face, forcing her to breath in the fumes. "My mom loved me and she left! My dad loved me and he doesn't care about anything anymore. I can't, I won't lose someone else I love!"

Gabby struggled for what she was worth, but the fumes of the ether took effect quickly and she passed out. He unlocked the chain around her neck, and carried her outside to the compost pit, shoving her inside, before slamming the hatch shut and locking it. He hated to hurt her, it pained him to treat her so badly, but he needed to make her realise how much he loved her. He would release her eventually, when she proved that she could be trusted not to try and run away, but until then he just needed her to stay. Once she learned to admit that she loved him too, he would make it up to her and treat her like the goddess she was.

The others assembled in JKP, all concerned for Gabby's welfare. It had now been several hours since any of them had seen her, so it was becoming obvious that something had happened to her.

"So what's happened to Karl?" Dom asked as he paced nervously. "Where's he been?"

"He skipped the rest of the day." Mark informed him. "No one's seen him since before practice."

"So we know that neither of them has been seen since lunch time." RJ commented. "I think by now it's a pretty safe conclusion that the two events are linked."

"Well if we suspect abduction, then we should definitely call the cops." Casey's sister Susan stated flatly. "Forget the movies, statistically there's a better chance of getting the victim back alive is to get the authorities involved."

"You've seen the same notes we have!" Dominic snapped at her. "You've seen the gifts, the threats; he tried to turn me into pavement pizza! The guy's a psycho!"

"Which is why we should do everything we can to get her back without putting her in danger!" Susan replied. "The cops have people trained for this kind of thing. Even if we knew where they were, if we go charging in like maniacs, then he's likely to panic and do something stupid."

"She's right." Casey agreed. "Dom, we all care about Gabby, believe me there's nothing most of us want more than to find this guy and kick his ass, but like Susan said, we don't want to risk him doing something to hurt Gabby."

Dom slumped down into RJ's recliner, an act he didn't mind under the circumstances, and held his head in frustration. He knew they were right, Karl had already tried to kill Dominic twice now, and he was pretty much capable of anything. Dom knew he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her. He was meant to take care of her, he loved her.

"I know a guy from the Major Crimes Unit who transferred here a while ago." Susan assured him, picking up the phone. "He'll know what to do."

"I'll get some food underway." RJ stated. "We might not feel much like it now, but people need to eat, right?"

"I'll help you." Lily replied.

"Lily, you just got back from the hospital, you should be resting." RJ insisted. "You are not getting into that kitchen."

"RJ, the baby's fine." Lily sighed. "I'm just a little bruised up..."

"This isn't up for negotiation." He replied putting his hands on her shoulders and pressing her gently back down onto the couch. "You are not moving from that couch."

Lily just groaned and settled down on the couch. RJ used to always moan about her mothering them all when they were ill or hurt, but he was a million times worse since she'd fallen pregnant. She had been terrified of the thought of anything happening to the baby, and she was so relieved when the doctors told her that the scan showed the heart was beating. Of course now she knew RJ would be even worse with his fussing. Now she would barely be allowed to move for the next six and a half months.

"I'll help." Casey interjected. "Come on Theo, let's give him a hand."

The three guys got up and left the room, leaving Michelle, Mrs. Rhodes, Lily and Fran alone with Dom. Fran came over to him, stroking his back gently.

"We're doing everything we can." Fran assured him. "We'll get her back. I'm sure of it."

"We have to Fran." He muttered under his breath. "We just have to. She's counting on us."

"I'll call Master Phant." Lily stated, pulling out her cell phone. "He should know."

"No, I'll call him." Dom stated. Lily and Fran looked at him a little concerned.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked.

"Lily, if I don't do this, I'll never be able to look him in the face again." He responded. "I'll be outside, tell me if anything happens."

As Dom left, Fran returned to Lily's side on the couch.

"Poor Dom." She sighed. "He must be going out of his mind."

"She'll be fine." Lily replied, pulling a pillow across her chest, holding it tightly. "I just know she'll be alright."

Back at the cabin, Gabby came to, finding herself locked in a tiny pit. The draught coming in from the hatch let her know she was outside. She turned to face the hatch as Karl opened it, presenting a plate of sandwiches to her.

"I thought you might be hungry." He stated. Gabby took one of the sandwiches and began wolfing it down with gusto. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and she had no idea when, if at all, he was planning to feed her. "You know if you'd just play nicely and stop all this nonsense about letting you go, you could have been having salmon."

Gabby ignored him, instead taking the bottle of water he was carrying and washing down her sandwich. "Karl, I thought you loved me." She whimpered. "It's freezing out here. Can't you bring me back inside?"

"I'm afraid it's too early for that." He said, taking away the plate. Gabby took another swig of water before he pulled it from her hands. "Until you prove you can play nicely, you have to stay here. When I can trust you again, then we'll talk about coming inside."

"Karl, please don't leave me out here." She begged him.

"Still, I'm not completely heartless." He said with a smile, handing her a large blanket. "This will help, remember this when you think about what I mean to you. You've done nothing to deserve this, so why else would I give it to you?"

Gabby looked into his eyes, and felt a shudder, though not because it was cold. It was fear. She realised that he was serious. For the first time it registered that he genuinely believed he was doing this because he loved her. She accepted the blanket cautiously.

"You're giving me this because you love me." She answered quietly. "Thank you."

"Well that's a start." He replied, stroking her hair gently. "In the morning we'll talk about the future. Good night."

Gabby pulled the blanket around herself as Karl shut the hatch, locking it closed. She curled up as much as she could for warmth beneath the blanket. She was in for a long night.

Dominic got off the phone with Master Phant, coming back into the apartment as Susan got off the phone.

"Master Phant's coming over." Dom told them. "He wanted to be here in case there's any news."

"Dom, don't take anything he said to heart." Lily said sympathetically. "He's just worried about her."

"Lily, it's my fault." He stated. "Things only got out of hand after I let him get away. If I'd just got the scum bag in the restaurant..."

"You were looking after me." Lily reminded him. "You couldn't have done anything different."

"We all know how you feel about Gabby." Fran told him. "You'd never do anything to put her in danger."

"The MCU are looking into Gabby's case." Susan informed him. "They have to wait until she's been missing for 24 hours before she's a missing person..."

"They have to wait until lunch time tomorrow?" He shrieked incredulously.

"Dom, the thing you have to remember is that she's over 18." She reminded him. "Strictly speaking she's an adult; she has the right to just leave without saying a word..."

"Screw this; I'm going to find her!" He snapped, crossing the room to RJ's computer. "We tried it your way..."

"Dom, give the cops a chance." Susan implored him.

"Susan, after 24 hours we have no idea what condition she'll be in." He snapped, tapping a few keys.

"Susan, you might not want to know what Dom's doing." Lily suggested, realising that he was likely hacking into the public records office. RJ, Casey and Theo arrived back in the room with food for them all. RJ saw that Dom was working on the computer, and figured he could use some help.

"Right, I found Karl's birth certificate." Dom stated, pulling up the record. "18 years old, his father's Michael Mason and his mother's Karen Mason."

Susan just grabbed a plate of pasta and started humming loudly as she began eating, pretending she couldn't hear the conversation. RJ shoved Dom across a bit and pulled up another record.

"Mark said something happened to his mother." RJ shot out, hacking into the hospital. "Karen Mason suffered a bout of depression after experiencing an ectopic pregnancy."

"Oh my god!" Lily shrieked, holding her stomach defensively. She had been worried about her own child before, but she knew the baby was fine. She had no idea how she'd cope if something like that had happened. "She must have been devastated."

"What's an ectopic pregnancy?" Theo asked.

"Sometimes the egg doesn't make it all the way from the ovary to the womb after fertilisation." Michelle explained. "Sometimes it settles in the fallopian tubes. If the baby grows there, then it puts both the mother and the baby at risk."

"It says that the baby had already grown too large by the time they found out." RJ stated. "They needed to terminate the baby to save her life. She was prescribed anti-depressants after a period of counselling."

"Well we know we have the right guy then." Dominic stated. "Now all we need to know is where he is."

"I've got his address here, but I doubt he'd take Gabby there." RJ concluded. "His dad still lives in the house. He'd need somewhere he won't be disturbed."

"Well I think it's about time we visited Mr. Mason." Dom suggested, getting up. Susan got to her feet as he did this, trying to bar his path.

"Dom, I've turned a blind eye to the hacking, but we need to do this properly." She stated. "If we rush in, then we risk putting Gabby in danger."

"She's already in danger!" He snarled in response. "We need to find her and bring her home!"

"Dominic, we gathered this information illegally." Susan reminded him. "If we act on this and nothing else, then we can't secure a conviction, the case could be thrown out of court."

"So what are we suggesting?" RJ asked. Susan picked up her jacket and put it on, checking her badge was still in her inside pocket.

"I suggest I have a talk with Mr. Mason." She replied, realising that any attempt to get Dom to simply wait on the police being able to act was unlikely to yield positive results. "I'm the one least connected to the case, I'll be able to keep my head."

"But..."

"If there is somewhere else he's likely to have gone, then his father's likely to know." Susan interrupted him. "Until we know where Karl is, there isn't much else we can do anyway."

She grabbed the address from RJ and hauled Casey to his feet roughly.

"Come on baby brother. You can show me where this address is." She barked with authority. "If I can't stop you, then I suppose I can at least help you."

Dom however, had logged back onto the computer. Something about what Susan had said struck a chord. If his father still lived at home, then he would indeed need somewhere else to take Gabby. Pulling up the property register, he searched for Karl's dad. Perhaps he had somewhere else to go after all.

The following morning, Gabby shielded her eyes from the early morning sun as the hatch to the compost pit was thrown open. Karl gazed over her as she shivered uncontrollably. Her lips were tinged with blue, and her skin was incredibly pale. She was freezing, and she had spent much of the night trying to stay awake. Her Uncle had taken her camping more than once over the years, and she knew how quickly hypothermia could set in. She knew how important it was for her to stay awake.

"Good morning." He greeted her, grabbing her and dragging her out of the pit. He led her back into the cabin, sitting her down on the bed. "I'm sorry about that. I just needed you to learn a lesson."

"Gabby just nodded wordlessly, pulling the blanket around herself as she tried to regain feeling in her limbs. Karl noticed her shivering and immediately rushed to the fireplace, beginning to build a fire.

"I'm sorry, you must be freezing." He rushed out apologetically. "I'll build a fire and..."

"I need to go." Gabby finally managed to force out. Karl turned to look at her with an unmistakable look of anger in his eyes. Gabby held her hands up defensively, before pointing to the bathroom. "No, I mean...I need to go."

Karl realised that she had indeed been locked up now for a long time. He came over to her, pulling out a key. He unlocked the padlock on the chains securing her wrists together. Gabby unravelled them, dropping them to the floor, before rubbing some feeling back into her wrists.

"I'll have the fire started by the time you're finished." He told her. Gabby got up, hobbling to the bathroom, the chains securing her ankles rattling against the floorboards. She thought about how to try and escape, but given her condition, she was in no state to go anywhere. Even without the chains, Karl had taken her shoes and socks, she was half-starved and she was almost certainly suffering from hypothermia. If she ran, she knew she wouldn't get far, and that would only earn her another trip to the compost pit. As she settled into the bathroom, she ran the hot water tap to wash her hands and face. It felt good to finally regain feeling in her hands and fingers after sitting in the pit for hours on end. After finishing freshening up, she came back out into the living room, finding Karl preparing breakfast for them both.

"I remembered you always ordered a double helping of scrambled eggs from the canteen." He commented, gesturing to the pans on the stove. "I've prepared plenty of bacon and sausages too. I've also got some coffee on the pot."

"Thank you." She whispered, making her way to the couch and sitting down, pulling the blanket around herself and sitting by the fire for warmth.

"I hope you like this." He told her. "I think I remembered how you like your breakfast cooked."

"It's wonderful." She replied, shovelling it into her mouth enthusiastically. "Thank you."

"Well here's where you belong." He told her, stroking her hair as she ate. Gabby tried hard not to flinch away from his touch. Right now, she knew her best chances lay with playing along with his delusional fantasy until someone found her. "Haven't I been good to you?"

"You have." She replied, gulping down some coffee. She was so grateful to be out of that hole and actually somewhere warm. She stopped as he picked up the chain and the padlocks he had removed from her wrists.

"Now, perhaps you could give me a little gesture of trust." He suggested. "After all, I have been so kind to you; maybe it's time you did something for me."

Gabby realised that her best chance of getting out of this was not to antagonise him. She placed her wrists together and held them out in front of her. Karl smiled, before beginning to restrain her wrists again, snapping shut the padlock.

"Now you're learning." He said with a smile, cradling her in his arms. "Perhaps soon we'll talk about our future together."

"Perhaps we should." She whispered, turning her face from him so he couldn't see her tears. She didn't want him to know she was thinking about Dom.

"This feels so right, doesn't it?" He asked her, lying down with her on the couch, pulling a blanket over them. Gabby nodded weakly as she finally allowed herself to succumb to her exhaustion. As long as she had the warmth of the fire, and the blanket, then she wasn't in any immediate danger of falling to hypothermia. Karl smiled as he saw her drifting off to sleep in his arms. He had imagined this so many times. He leaned in, kissing her neck before settling down, pulling her into himself. He always knew that this was meant to be.

RJ woke up the next morning, coming into the living room. For understandable reasons, Dom had insisted he wanted to stay at the restaurant in case Susan and the police came back with any news. He felt a chill as he realised Dom wasn't there.

"Master Phant?" He asked, shaking the old master awake. He had also come over, so that he would be there if Susan came back from the police station with any news. "Have you seen Dom?"

"Not since last night." He answered, pulling off the blanket.

Just then, a clearly exhausted Susan and Casey came back into the restaurant.

"I pulled in Karl's dad. It turns out he has a string of driving offences." She told him. "While we were holding him, he gave us some information. It turns out he has a fishing cabin near the lake."

"He says he hasn't used it since his wife went missing." Casey stated. "But he still owns it. That means there's somewhere for us to check out."

"They still need to wait until she's been gone for 24 hours, but now we have probable cause." Susan stated.

"You said that the cabin's near the lake." RJ interjected. "By any chance is the address 187 Bushwell road?"

"Yes." Susan replied. "How did you know that?"

RJ turned the monitor towards them, displaying the address on screen.

"I'll give you three guesses where Dom is." RJ responded. "And the first two don't count."


	11. The Rescue

Dom pushed his way through the undergrowth frantically as he rushed towards the cabin. He had been following the road most of the way, but he knew that he would be seen if he used the road to approach the cabin, and so had gone off-road about two miles from the cabin.

His thoughts pounded around in his brain, and his heart burned as he thought about all the things Karl could be doing to her. Gabby had now been missing for close to a full day. He was well aware of what his intentions for her were likely to be, and the thought disgusted him that he might already be too late. He wanted to get his hands on this kid in the worst way, if anything had happened to Gabby, he was going to make sure Karl paid in kind.

Gabby stirred awake, finding herself alone under the blanket. Obviously at some point, Karl had left her. Sitting up, she swept the sand from her eyes and started looking around. She still had no idea where exactly she was. She figured she couldn't be far from the city because he had brought here while she was unconscious, she had come to in chains, so he to have brought her somewhere he could get to within a short time of kidnapping her at the school.

She stood up, pulling the blanket around herself and shuffled over to the window, looking out.

She saw the lake, recognising it and realising she was right. She was only a couple of miles outside the city; these cabins were always filled in the summer months. One or two were privately owned, but most of them were rented out during summer for fishing weekends. Unfortunately they were also sold as being private. None of the cabins were close enough to get a direct view into the others, and so the only way someone would be able to see her in there was if they came up to the cabin to look inside. She reached forward, pressing the windows, but already knowing they'd be locked. It was too much to hope that Karl would forget to lock up when he left her to go out. She almost jumped out of her skin as he arrived behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She hadn't heard him come in.

"It really is a beautiful view isn't it?" He asked her, kissing her neck. Gabby Shuddered at his touch, but nodded in agreement.

"My Uncle used to take me camping near here." She told him, pointing to a small island. "We used to take a boat out onto that island in the middle. There's a great spot there for camping."

"My dad used to bring me to this cabin all the time." He sighed, making his way back to the couch and sitting down, holding his head in his hands. "We used to come here every summer when I was a kid, but I loved it so much that he took out a mortgage to buy it. We came here every weekend since I was 10."

"It's lovely here." She replied, sitting down next to him. "Why did you stop coming?"

"I didn't. I kept coming here long after my dad stopped." He told her. "I always loved this place. It's just so peaceful here, I can sit and think. When I was 10 and my dad told me he bought this place, I used to dream I'd end up living here. I know it's kind of silly, but I always loved it."

"It isn't that silly, I can understand why you like it here." Gabby replied, looking out the window. "How often do you come here?"

"I come at least once a week." He stated. "I spend every weekend up here. Sometimes if I have a lot to think about or I just want to get away from it all I come here during the week. I just wish I had a car of my own, if I did then I'd stay up here all the time."

"Whenever I need to think, I go to my Uncle's house." Gabby informed him, looking at the floor. "My mom and dad are always kind of busy. They don't spend much time with me, so I feel more comfortable talking to him about stuff."

"Dad never talks to me anymore." Karl muttered, fidgeting on the couch. "Ever since mom left all he ever does is drink."

"That must have been hard." She said sympathetically, putting her hands on his shoulder. "Maybe you should try to talk to him about that."

"No, he doesn't want me anymore." He snapped in response, taking her hands in his. He turned to face her, a smile crossing his face as he looked into her eyes. "I don't need him, now I have you."

Outside, Dom arrived at the cabin, making his way slowly out of the undergrowth and moving over to Gabby's car. He knew it was hers, and so he was sure he had the right place. He put his hand on the hood, finding that it was still slightly warm. It had obviously been used recently. He crept slowly towards the door, peering in through the window.

He found Gabby sitting on the couch next to him. He could see from here that she was restrained, her hands and feet held tightly in chains.

Seeing him reach over and touch her, he saw her flinching from him. That was all the reason he needed. Before another thought could cross his mind, he had kicked the door in, almost tearing it completely off its hinges.

"Dom!" Gabby called out, her eyes lighting up as she saw him. Karl stood up, bringing himself to his full height. Despite being younger, he was a good six inches taller than Dom and close to 20 pounds heavier. His thick, brown hair was out of place as a result of his lack of care, giving him a slightly bestial appearance. His bright green eyes flashed with an unspoken rage as he saw the intruder.

"You never cared about me!" He snarled turning and bringing the back of his hand across her face hard. "You were just stalling until he came weren't you?"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Dom yelled, throwing himself at the large teenager. He bore him to the ground, but quickly found Karl rolling over, ending up on top of him, and throwing a hard punch into his face.

"You can't have her!" He screamed, clamping a hand around Dom's throat, beginning to strangle him. "She's mine!"

Dom flipped him over onto the floor, before rolling a safe distance from him, taking up a guard.

"Where I come from, usually the lady has a choice in that matter." He taunted him. Karl reached into the back of his jeans, pulling out a pistol. Dom registered the gun just in time to throw himself behind the couch before Karl fired.

"You don't deserve her. No one can love her more than I do!" He yelled, beginning to stalk the cabin looking for Dom. He crept around, looking for inspiration. He only wanted to use his morpher as a last resort if he had no other choice. He didn't want to risk letting Karl know his true identity. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of change.

"Karl!" He called out, launching the coins at him at face-height. Karl shielded his face with his hands, giving Dom enough time to rush him, driving him through the back door and into the woods with a huge shoulder charge. Karl and Dom regained their feet quickly, facing each other. Karl looked around frantically for his gun.

"You're not so tough without a gun or a car to do your dirty work, are you kid?" Dominic asked him, scoring a hard kick. "You're just a loser that needs to hurt girls to get your kicks. You're just a pathetic..."

Dom's words were cut off as Karl picked up a log, bringing it down across his injured shoulder. He screamed out as hot needles of pain shot through him from the blow. Karl brought it down a couple more times, beginning to take advantage.

"It looks like you're the one who's the loser pizza boy!" He sneered, limping over to the fallen gun. He picked it up, cocking it before levelling it in Dom's direction. Dom reached for his bracelet, realising that he may have no choice but to use his morpher.

"Drop it Karl!" Susan shouted with authority, arriving from the undergrowth, levelling her own pistol at him. "Put the gun down and step away!"

"Who the hell are you?" He shrieked.

"I'm a cop." She answered. "Now put the gun down or I'll shoot!"

"It's not fair! Why can't you all just leave us alone?" He yelled, tears beginning to run down his face. "I just want to make her happy..."

"I won't warn you again Karl!" Susan pressed on. "Put the gun down!"

Karl turned to face her, but Susan reacted too quickly, firing a shot, scoring a hit to his chest. She approached him slowly as the cops arrived, kicking his fallen gun away while keeping him covered.

"The girl's in the cabin." Susan informed them as she put her gun away. She pulled out her badge. "I'm Sergeant Rhodes with the San Francisco PD."

Gabby rushed out of the cabin, having been released from her bonds, coming to Dom's side and throwing her arms around him.

"Gabby!" He gasped, holding her tightly. "I was so worried about you."

"Dom, I knew you'd find me!" She replied, kissing him passionately. Neither of them cared that Master Phant had arrived, they were just so happy to have gotten through this whole situation safely that all they wanted to do was enjoy being in each other's arms again.

"Gabby, the police want you to go to the hospital to get checked out." She told her, interrupting the moment by placing a hand on Gabby's shoulder, attracting her attention. "Then they'll need to take a statement from you."

"I...I..."

"I'll go with you." Dom assured her, seeing that she was nervous. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

With that, he led Gabby to the back of a patrol car, getting in with her. Gabby though watched sadly as she watched Karl being loaded into an ambulance. As much as he had done to her, she never wanted anyone to get hurt. She had spoken with him over the time she had been in his clutches, and while she still hated what he had done to her, she could identify with the loneliness he felt, and could understand why.

Later at the hospital, Dominic came into Gabby's room with a bouquet of flowers from the gift shop. He hadn't had time to go and get her anything else. She immediately brightened up as he and her uncle came into the room.

"What did the doctors say?" Dom asked her, handing her the bouquet and kissing her cheek. Gabby blushed a little at the gesture.

"They said I would be fine in a couple of days." She answered. "They just want me to take it easy."

"Well I'm glad everything turned alright." Master Phant told her, arriving after Dominic. "Why didn't you talk to me about this?"

"I didn't know how to." She replied. "I was scared, but I didn't want to trouble you. At first I thought that it would just blow over, but by the time the notes started getting creepy, I thought you might think I brought it on myself."

"Gabby, no one deserves to go through what you did." He replied, smiling at her.

"I was beside myself when I thought you were in danger." Dom told her gently, stroking her hair. "I was so terrified that something would happen to you..."

"He never touched me." Gabby assured them. "You know...like that..."

Both her uncle and Dom breathed a sigh of relief as she confirmed this. Dom took her hand as he prepared for the next part.

"The police want you to make a statement." He informed her. "They've got enough to lay several charged against him..."

"I...I don't...I mean..." She stammered, trying to think of what she was trying to say. "I'm not sure I want to press charges."

"Why ever not?" Master Phant asked her.

"It's just that...while he had me there, he told me a lot about what's been happening to him." Gabby stated. "He's really messed up. He's lost a lot..."

"Gabby, he tried to kill me." Dom reminded her. "He tried to shoot Susan. He kidnapped you..."

"He wasn't thinking clearly." She replied. "I saw the look in his eyes when he was talking to me. He genuinely believed he was in love with me. When he thought he was going to lose me, all I saw was fear and desperation."

"You really are amazing." Dom said in a smile. "After everything he put you through, you still have a big enough heart to feel sorry for him."

"I can't imagine how much he's been hurt by this business with his mom." Gabby sighed. "His dad hasn't really been that supportive. He's just kind of given up..."

"Gabby, I understand what you mean, he needs help." Dom stated, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "Susan's already explained this to me. He's being held in a ward here until he recovers, and then he'll be transferred to the police station. He'll be sent to a psychiatrist to determine if he's fit to stand trial."

"But..."

"If he's ruled to be non-compos mentis, then he'll be remanded to a secure psychiatric facility for treatment." He continued to reassure her. "He'll almost certainly not face charges for his crimes."

"But what if he volunteers for treatment?" Gabby asked. "What if we give him a chance to go on his own?"

"He'd have to submit himself voluntarily for treatment." Dom told her. "He still hasn't admitted to any of his crimes. He still doesn't believe he's done anything wrong. Do you really think he's ready to admit he needs help?"

Gabby looked down into her chest. She didn't want to get him into any more trouble, but she knew that Dom was right. This was the only way. Master Phant began stroking her back reassuringly.

"Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind." He said soothingly. "I know you feel badly for him, but this is the best thing you can do to help him."

"I'll do it." Gabby whispered gently. "Send them in."

"I'm proud of you Gabby." Master Phant told her warmly.

"We both are." Dominic added. "We'll be right outside."

They both left the room, gesturing in two police officers as they went. They stopped out in the hall, taking a seat.

"I believe we have something to talk about Dominic." Master Phant stated.

"Look, I know..."

"I've known about you and Gabby since the wedding." He interrupted him. Dominic's jaw almost hit the floor. "Dominic, I've known you for a while now. I know what kind of person you are. I know you'd never do anything to hurt or disrespect Gabby."

"You knew?" Dominic gasped.

"You were both really cute about it at the wedding." He chuckled at the memory. "I could see what your thoughts were by the way you looked at each other. I may have taken the vow of chastity, but don't forget that I was young once too."

"If you knew, then why didn't you say anything?" Dom asked with a sigh of relief at the revelation. "I was so nervous when I came to talk to you about it..."

"Yes, both Swoop and I thought it was quite funny." Phant revealed.

"Swoop knew?" He asked.

"Trust me, most of us knew." Phant told him. "Look, I knew you'd never hurt Gabby, and you've proven how far you'll go to protect her today. I only wanted to have a little fun and make you jump through a few hoops before I put you out of your misery."

"So you were playing me the whole time." Dom chuckled, finally able to see the funny side. He knew how much Gabby meant to her uncle, it meant a lot to him that he was OK with him dating her, and he knew it would mean a lot to her too.

There was a slight commotion as Gabby's parents arrived. They charged through the hall, straight past Master Phant, and Dom and into her room.

"I don't want to speak badly of Gabby's parents..."

"Trust me; I too think it's sad that it takes something like this for them to spend some time with her." Master Phant sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It is a discussion I have had with them before; it took over a year and an apology I didn't mean to get them to let me see her again. They think taking care of a child is all about earning money to give them a comfortable life. That is why I take my role in her life so seriously, and why I wanted to be sure she'd end up with someone who'd support her."

"You know I will." Dominic told him. "So you all know?"

"We really do." Master Phant assured him. "By the way, when you let others know when you told me; tell them you did it before 2:30 PM today."

"Why would..." He paused as he realised. "You were running a book?"

"If you told me before 2:30 PM then I'm up 250 dollars." He chuckled.

"Who wins after that?" He asked.

"Flit." Master Phant told him. "He wins after that."

"No wonder he was trying to play to my nerves earlier." Dom stated. "Well if I get a cut, then we've got a deal."

"You can have all of it. Just promise me you'll take Gabby somewhere nice with the money." He answered, shaking Dom's hand. "She deserves a nice day out after all of this."

"You know, I think I have the perfect idea." Dom said with a smile. "Thanks Master Phant."

"No, thank you Dominic." He replied. "Without you, Gabby might not have come back to us."

Back at JKP, the others gathered inside to settle down after their hectic day. As Lily came into the room carrying some drinks, RJ launched himself up from his seat, snatching them from her and gesturing to his chair.

"Lily, sit down. You're meant to be resting." He rushed out, beginning to hand around the drinks. Lily just groaned and sat down.

"RJ, I'm two and a half months pregnant, I'm not an invalid." She moaned. Everyone knew how active and independent Lily was, so they knew it had to be driving her mad the way RJ wasn't letting her do anything since the accident.

"I can sympathise." Camille told her. "It's like the moment we fall pregnant, the men in our lives become completely neurotic."

"Trust me, Casey's father was just the same." His mom assured her. "When I was pregnant with the twins he seemed to think I was bedridden."

"Mom!" All three of her children whined.

"Do we have to do the baby stories?" Casey protested.

"You'll learn." She laughed. "The only thing that's more fun than playing with your kids when they're kids, is embarrassing them when they're adults."

"Anyway, now we can get back to planning my wedding." Casey said changing the subject before the baby photos could come into play. "The registry office is booked for the weekend."

"I can't believe we get to watch our baby brother walk down the aisle." Susan teased him, ruffling his hair playfully. "He's all grown up."

"I can't believe we watch him walking up the aisle before us." Michelle muttered. "I know I work like 300 hours a week at the hospital, but I would have thought at least ONE of my dates would have turned up trumps by now."

"Well I still don't have a boyfriend, and I'm fine." Susan answered. "I guess men are scared off by a strong woman."

"I think it's more a strong woman with a gun they're scared of." Casey teased her as her cell phone rang.

"OK, I have to take this." She told them, checking caller ID. "Just no talk about dresses until I get back, if you pick out something embarrassing I'm kicking your ass."

She then slapped the back of Casey's head before leaving to answer her phone, side-stepping Jarrod as he arrived...

"Well that's me warned." Casey stated. "Hey Jarrod, how are you?"

"I'm good thanks." He replied. "I'm a little disappointed I wasn't here for all the excitement, sorry about that but things were kind of crazy at the temple."

"It's alright, everything worked out." RJ told him. "So are you looking forward to the wedding?"

"I sure am." He told him. "I..."

His words tailed off as Susan came back into the room, moving slowly.

"That was the police, the psychiatrist has seen Karl." She informed them. "He's being transferred to a secure unit as we speak."

"Well at least we know he'll be getting the help he needs." Lily remarked.

"Well I think everything's worked out for the best." Flit stated as he picked up a slice of pizza. "So let's hear more about this wedding."

"I agree." Susan said with a smile. "But do remember I'm still carrying my gun when it comes to picking the dresses."

"I'll remember that." Casey said with an evil smirk. Little did she know that he already picked the dresses, and they were already in the apartment.


	12. Wedding Preparations

The next morning, Camille was sitting on the couch, making short work of a large stack of waffles when Casey came into the room yawning loudly. He leaned over, snatching a waffle and kissed her gently.

"Good morning gorgeous." He greeted her, throwing himself onto the couch beside her. "How's junior this morning?"

"Pretty quiet so far." She replied, forcing down another mouthful. "I had such a sweet tooth this morning, but she hasn't moved all morning."

"Well you know..." He paused for a second as he realised what she had said. "You know what we're having don't you?"

"What makes you think that?" Camille asked him.

"You called the baby 'she'." He reminded her. "I thought we were going to wait. You got the doctor to tell you at the last scan didn't you?"

"Of course I didn't." Camille snapped in response. "I just don't see why we should call the baby 'he' all the time."

He looked at her for a second before relaxing. He knew she wouldn't lie to him about something that important. He leaned over, kissing her cheek again.

"So are you ready for another day with my family?" He asked her.

"So why am I getting to show your sisters the dresses again?" Camille asked him. "Could you get some OJ?"

"No problem." He replied, making his way to the fridge. "And it's not like they can kill YOU when you still have their little niece or nephew inside you can they?"

"I just don't see why you couldn't have picked out something a little more..."

"I can't exactly overturn 20 years of tradition now can I?" He laughed, bringing her a glass of juice. "I have to take any opportunity I can to mess with them."

"Just don't get yourself killed before the wedding." Camille warned him. "I would like the baby to have a father."

"As long as you or mom is there, I'll be safe." He assured her. "Trust me; I was a master of tormenting my sisters and living to tell the tale long before I became a Tiger Master."

"Even a Master's luck runs out eventually." She reminded him as he collected his coat to leave. "Have you decided on your Best Man yet?"

"I'm still enjoying making the guys jump for it." He replied with a chuckle. "I'm thinking of making the announcement at my bachelor party tonight."

He pulled on his jacket, finding his car keys in his pocket and leaned over, kissing her once more before. "Have fun tonight."

Camille watched him go, shaking her head at his behaviour. Although he had grown up a lot over the last year, especially since he'd gotten together with her, he still occasionally said or did something that reminded her how young he was. She looked down to her belly.

"Just remind me to take the bullets out of Susan's gun before she sees him next." She whispered. "Daddy's pushing his luck."

Back at the temple, Dom and Jarrod were making their way to the main courtyard to begin training the students. Dom's shoulder was still strapped up as a result of his recent assaults at the hands of Karl, but he had enough movement left in it that he could still teach. Jarrod smiled as he saw him stroking his shoulder.

"So how's Gabby bro?" Jarrod asked him.

"She's being sent home this morning." Dom informed him. "She had a long talk with her parents last night. She called me afterwards."

"What did they have to say?" Jarrod pressed on.

"They both felt really guilty they hadn't noticed what was going on with her." He responded. "It wasn't an easy lesson for them to learn, but I think they've finally realised how much all the time they spend away from her has cost them."

"Well at least you and Master Phant have been there for her." Jarrod stated. "I just can't believe I lost fifty bucks to Master Phant."

"Well you shouldn't have bet on me taking three weeks to tell him." Dominic taunted him. "Don't you have more faith in your big brother than that?"

"I guess I should have given you more credit." He replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I guess there're no prizes for guessing who you're taking to the wedding."

"I think there's a good chance it'll be Gabby." He said, running a hand through his hair. "I promised I'd go over to her place before the bachelor party tonight to check on her."

"Just as long as you aren't late." Jarrod warned him. "Casey's still not decided who he's making the Best Man."

"Oh come on Jarrod, as if it'll be anyone but RJ." Dom shouted as he made his way towards his own class, leaving Jarrod to his own students.

Jarrod and the others kind of suspected that Casey would choose RJ. He had been Casey's closest confidante since he'd arrived. Having lost his father so young, he'd lacked a positive male role model for a long time, and so he and RJ had gotten close over his time in Ocean Bluff. He still hadn't said for sure, but no one would have been surprised if he announced that he'd chosen Jarrod.

"Good Morning class!" Jarrod yelled, bringing the students to attention. "Let's see what you've all learned since yesterday."

Back at JKP, Susan was working out on the multi-gym while Michelle and Mrs. Rhodes looked through brochures. Lily came into the room and flopped down on the couch with them.

"I take it RJ's still being overprotective." Michelle greeted her.

"He didn't even let me into the kitchen." She grumbled. "Why doesn't he just tape me up in bubble wrap and be done with it?"

"I can sympathise." Mrs. Rhodes told her. "My husband was exactly the same way."

"And so is Casey." Camille told them as she came into the room, plopping herself down on RJ's chair. She had been given permission to use it since it was good for her back, or at least that was what she told him when he questioned her using it. "It took months for him to realise I'm not made of glass, but he still keeps fussing over me at times."

"I know it's hard, but just try to enjoy all the attention he's giving you." Mrs. Rhodes recommended. "When the baby comes and you start running around after it, you'll really miss all the fussing."

"Anyway, enough of the baby talk." Susan called over as she rested the weights and began mopping her brow. "We're meant to be talking about the wedding."

"For goodness sake take a shower Susan." Mrs. Rhodes chastised the younger of her twin daughters. "We'll be here when you get back."

Susan conceded the point and left the room. Michelle pointed to something in the brochure.

"So it's this room the service will be held in?" She asked. Camille nodded.

"We figured we wouldn't need a huge room, we don't have many guests." She told them. "But once the flowers are in, it should be beautiful."

"I'm sure it will be." Michelle added. "And I'm sure you've picked out something wonderful to wear."

"Well, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." She said through a sucking of her teeth. "Casey's already picked out bridesmaids outfits for you and Susan."

"Casey picked them?" Michelle asked, her eyebrows rising at this revelation. She and Susan were painfully aware of his sense of humour. "Do I need to get my sister's gun off her?"

"What about my gun?" Susan asked, coming back into the room, having showered and changed. "Why would you want it?"

RJ came into the room carrying the dresses. Camille just hid her eyes as the girl's faces hit the floor.

"I'm going to kill him!" Susan yelled.

"That's sugary even for my tastes!" Michelle shrieked.

They were huge, billowing frilly gowns trimmed with lace, in a shade of pink that should never see textiles, or anything other than cheap cotton candy.

"Girls, it's your brother's day." Their mother reminded them, trying hard not to laugh at the thought of what they'd look like in the monstrous garments. "Just suck it up and wear them."

"Mom, I'll look like the sugarplum bloody fairy!" Susan protested, beginning to flash red. "Come on, please..."

"You're going to wear the dress Susan." Mrs Rhodes interrupted her. Susan just slumped down onto the couch sulking. Lily and Camille had to try hard not to laugh. It was amazing to them to think that despite her age, and despite the fact she was a cop, her mother still had that power over her children.

Dom approached the front door of Gabby's house, fixing his collar and his hair. She had warned him that her parents had both taken a couple of days off work to be with her. The whole Karl situation had obviously given them a hell of a fright when they had realised how seriously things could have gone. Dom wanted to make a good impression on them; he was, after all, coming to see their daughter the morning after she'd been returned to them after being kidnapped.

He had been there before, but never in daylight. The building towered over him so much more ominously than it had done before. Its long shadow reached most of the way down the gravel driveway. He arrived at the door, ringing the bell.

The door was answered a short time later by a man, quite a bit shorter than Dom, with slightly thinning grey hair. He had gold-rimmed bifocals, and was wearing a classic, three-piece pinstripe suit with a white shirt and deep red tie. He looked at Dom with a considered gaze.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Uh...My name's Dominic." He told the man extending a hand. "I was here to check on Gabby."

The man's eyes lit up and he grabbed his hand, shaking it with an enthusiasm that almost pulled Dom off his feet.

"Of course, Dominic!" He yelled loudly as a smile split his face. "Deborah, Gabby, Dominic's here! Come in, come in young man!"

Dom followed him in nervously. He had already guessed that this was Gabby's father, but he didn't know what would have been more unsettling, his disapproval or this wildly enthusiastic immediate acceptance. He showed Dominic through to the sitting room. An old fashioned, dark oak-panelled room, filled with classic, antique furniture and couches covered in a deep; red velvet. He saw Gabby sitting on one of the couches beside her mother. Whoever said that anyone wanting to know what their girlfriend would be like in 20 years time obviously had her in mind. Her mother was almost identical to her. A little taller, and wearing a long, black dress. Her long, brunette hair was tied into a single plaid, extending a little way down her back. She held her daughter warmly, smiling as she saw Dominic coming into the room.

He shifted a little uneasily as he looked around the room. The furniture was classically styled, and fresh flowers sat in a vase on the side board. The black marble fireplace was fully stoked and burning brightly. A large oil painting of the three of them hung above the fire place. Dom felt more than a little underdressed in his usual white t-shirt and combat pants. It was like he'd walked into the Ritz Carlton in a toga.

"So you're the latter day white knight we have to thank for getting our little girl back!" Gabby's mom gushed, coming over to Dominic and kissing his cheek. "She's been telling us all about how you tackled that maniac."

"I really didn't do that much." He croaked nervously at the older woman, beginning to blush again. "I just rushed in without thinking as usual. It was the police who stopped him."

"Nonsense!" her father snapped in response, "if it wasn't for you, who knows what that maniac could have done to her? Here, take a seat with Gabby. Would you like some tea?"

"Uh...thank you that would be nice." He replied, taking a seat. Gabby grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his and smiled at him.

"I brought you this Mrs..." he began, presenting a bottle of wine.

"Please, call me Deborah." She interrupted him, taking the bottle off him. "This is a lovely thought, isn't it George?"

"A hero and a considerate?" he asked, looking at the bottle. "I think you've hit the jackpot here Gabby."

"Dad!" She complained, beginning to blush. Just like Dom, she was becoming a little uncomfortable by the display. She had found herself having to explain about Dom when she told them about the Karl situation, and they had insisted on meeting him. "Please, you're embarrassing me."

"Oh come now, can't we make a little fuss over the new man in our little girl's life?" He asked in return. Feel free to call me George by the way."

"So, let's get to know you a little better." Deborah began. "So what do you do for a living?"

"Well I work in the pizza parlour part-time." He told them nervously. He knew Gabby's family had money, and he didn't want them to look down on him. He had to feel more than a little self-conscious himself being surrounded by all this finery. He knew it was unlikely he'd ever be able to afford a lifestyle like this. "Other than that I teach Kung Fu."

"Well Gabby's uncle's really into that kind of thing." George told him, in reference to his brother, Master Phant. "He's teaching Gabby in her spare time."

"Well she told me about that." Dom replied in a chuckle. He didn't want to have to explain how he already knew Master Phant.

"Gabby tells me one of your friends is getting married this weekend." Deborah stated, taking a sip of tea. "I take it you and Gabby will be going together."

"I was hoping so." Dominic replied, looking to Gabby. "But I wanted to see how she felt first. I wouldn't want..."

"Oh I'll be just fine by then!" Gabby rushed out. Dom got the feeling that her parent's attempt to rectify 18 years of insufficient attention had been a little wearing. He had only known them a few minutes, and their grilling was becoming uncomfortable. "So are you doing anything tonight?"

"Tonight is Casey's bachelor party." He replied. "I just wanted to see how you were before I went."

"Well I was meant to be going to Camille's bachelorette party." Gabby sighed, stroking her bruised wrists. "But..."

"You never said you were meant to be going out tonight!" George gasped.

"Well I was sure you'd..."

"Honey, after what you've been through, you could do with something to cheer you up." Deborah interrupted her. "You go and get ready. Your father will drop you off later."

"Well I need to be going." Dominic announced, getting up. He didn't know whether her parents were cool enough with him to kiss her in front of them, and so opted instead for a hug.

"We're meeting the guys at the restaurant." He told her. "I'll probably see you there."

"Bye Dom." She whispered, releasing him. He shook hands with her father once more, before leaving.

"Well you've certainly caught a good one there Gabby." Her father commented. "He seems like a fine young man."

"You should bring him around more often." Her mother remarked. "Maybe you should invite him to dinner soon."

Gabby wasn't especially keen on this idea. She knew her parents were likely already sizing him up as husband material. They had brought around the kids of more than a few of their friends and colleagues with the same purpose in mind. She was becoming a little nervous that perhaps they liked Dom a little too much.

Back at the apartment, the girls were getting ready for their night. Susan was already dressed in a pair of black dress trousers, with a short-sleeved white blouse. This was about as formal as she would ever dress out with her job, she had never really been one for dressing up. She heard a knock at the door as she watched the television, waiting on the others getting ready. She made her way over to the door and opened it.

"Hello, can..." Her words tailed off a little as she saw Jarrod standing there. She'd seen him briefly the previous night, but she hadn't seen him like this. He had taken a little more time to style his hair, and he was wearing a black silk shirt and black jeans in preparation for their trip to the bar for Casey's bachelor party. She shook her head. "Can I help you?"

Jarrod looked at her for a second, remembering briefly seeing her the previous night. He paused for a second before answering.

"I'm Jarrod, we met the other night." He reminded her, extending a hand.

"Susan." She responded, returning the gesture with a smile. As he walked in, she took in a good, long look at his body. Despite the shirt, she could tell he was built, and she found her eyes straying to...

"Are the guys here yet?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Umm...no, not yet." She stammered, regaining her concentration. "The other girls are just getting ready. The guys should be here soon." She looked down to the bottle in her hand and suddenly got a thought.

"Would you like a beer while you're waiting?"

"I'd love one." He replied. Susan handed him hers.

"I had only just opened it." She informed him. "I'll get another."

"I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Gabby." Jarrod called after her as she made her way to the fridge. "She really means a lot to my brother."

"Your brother?" She asked, coming back with another bottle, twisting it open. "But you and Dom seem so different..."

"It's a long story." He chuckled. "Besides, you and your sister seem totally different."

"I guess that's a long story too." She replied, gesturing to the couch. "So what do you do?"

"I teach Kung Fu." He replied, sitting down with her. Looking at her, he could remember seeing her for the first time. She looked totally different now; she had taken a lot more care over her hair and her makeup. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at him in a way that let him know she was listening to everything he said.

"Do you work for my brother?" She asked. Jarrod smiled and shook his head. He didn't know how to explain about Pai Zhuq, even if he could have at that point.

"No, it's nothing like that." He explained. "It's a long story; my classes are a little different."

"You know my dad taught all of us Kung Fu." She remarked. "Casey was the one that fell in love with it though. When we hit 13, I discovered cars and my sister discovered boys."

"Well I'm sure you get hand-to-hand training at the precinct." He commented.

"Not as much as you'd think." She replied in a snigger, taking a swig of beer. "None of the guys will train with me, they object to getting their asses kicked by a girl."

"I can believe that." He replied, laughing. "So are you looking forward to the wedding?"

"I was until I saw the dress." She groaned. "Now I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Casey in a room with no witnesses."

"I think I can arrange something." Jarrod said, taking a sip. He looked over to her. "Tell me what Camille has planned for the bachelorette party."

Susan looked into his eyes and took another sip as an evil grin crossed her face.


	13. Susan's Revenge

Casey, Theo and Fran arrived, finding Susan and Jarrod talking on the couch. Casey laughed as he saw the dark look Susan gave him when he came into the room.

"I guess you liked the dress." He chuckled.

"Casey, you are so going to pay!" She remarked, rising from the couch. "You know this isn't going to be the end of this."

"Trust me Susan, this one's stitched up." He said confidently. "You have no way of getting me before the wedding."

"Just you wait baby brother." She warned him. "Right now I have something to do. Fran, would you tell the others I'll be back soon?"

"No problem Susan." She answered as she left. Jarrod watched her go, smiling as he thought about the sweet revenge they were plotting for the dress stunt Casey had pulled.

"So Jarrod, are you ready for a huge night?" Casey asked with a smile, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "We're going to the bar down the street for a few hours, and then we're coming back here."

"Well I guess it's only fair you're the one who gets kicked out of the apartment." He commented. "Camille is pregnant."

"It'll be the first time the whole Rhodes family's been together in ages." He stated. "I really love the chance to mess with my sisters again."

"Well you've messed with me enough Mister!" Michelle snapped as she came into the room, wearing a short, black cocktail dress she had been saving for such an occasion. "It's only because I don't want my niece or nephew growing up without a father that I don't kill you for picking those dresses!"

"What can I say; a kid's a great shield!" He said loudly as Jarrod handed him a beer. He threw his arms open wide. "I'm bullet-proof!"

"We'll see." Jarrod sniggered, gesturing to the door as Dom arrived. "I guess we're starting soon."

"Flit's closing the restaurant, and then he's getting changed." RJ told them, arriving in the room, wearing a gaudy aloha shirt and jeans. "I'm looking forward to this. It's karaoke night."

"Well as long as I get to sing 'Bat out of Hell' I'm happy." Dom stated as he cracked open a beer. "Casey, I hope you make a good choice for Best Man."

"Well, so that no feelings are hurt and we don't spend the whole night with everyone vying for my vote, I guess I'll make my announcement now." He began, looking around the guys in the room. "My best man will be...Jarrod."

"Me?" Jarrod asked, looking a little unsure. "Why?"

"You've come a long way." He told him. "I really respect the way you've turned things around. You and I didn't get along at first, but now I consider you a friend. I know you won't let me down."

"Thanks Casey." He replied, shaking his hand. He almost regretted what was going to happen to him...almost. He truly was honoured by the gesture, but knowing what Susan had in store for him, he was not about to back out of the plan.

"OK, I'm ready guys." Flit announced as he arrived in the room. "We're wasting valuable drinking time!"

"Well I can't argue with that logic." Casey replied, downing his beer in one swig before pulling on his jacket. "I'll be back late, don't wait up."

"We won't." Michelle assured him. Lily, Camille, and Mrs Rhodes arrived in the room as Susan returned from her errand.

"The guys are gone." Michelle told them. "Now we have the place to ourselves."

"I guess it's time to start the party." Camille commented, accepting a champagne flute filled with orange juice. "I'm sure the guys will all have monster hangovers tomorrow."

"One more than most." Susan stated, winking knowingly. Mrs. Rhodes just groaned and took a sip of champagne. She knew that her children had a habit of taking prank wars seriously, and reason went out of the window when they did. Susan had something in mind for Casey and she knew it, but no amount of protest would steer her off this path and she knew it.

"What do you have in store for our baby brother?" Michelle asked. Susan opened the bag she was holding enough for her to see. Michelle laughed.

"He is so going to regret renting those dresses." She sniggered. "Now, out of the guys, who's single?"

"Well RJ's spoken for." Lily stated, loading up a chip with some guacamole. "Theo and Fran are married; Dom's pretty much head over heels with Gabby, so that just leaves Flit and Jarrod."

"Flit?" Michelle asked. "What kind of name's that?"

"It's a nick-name; it's kind of a long story." Lily explained. "He's the short blonde one."

"So Jarrod's the tall, dark handsome one with the attitude?" Michelle mused. "Now that is one attractive man..."

"I'm sure he has a girlfriend stashed somewhere." Susan quipped, running a hand through her hair. Lily saw a slight change in the colour of her cheeks and had to try hard not to laugh.

"He's single." Lily reiterated. "And Casey said he's the Best Man..."

"They always say the Best Man hooks up with the bridesmaid." Michelle shrieked. "Maybe I can get to know him a little better."

"Why not?" Susan asked, allowing her hair to fall into her face. She didn't know why the thought of her sister hooking up with Jarrod bothered her. Her sister was desperate to do the whole domestic thing. The husband, the 2.4 children, the white picket fence the whole nine yards. Susan hadn't really given it much thought. In the precinct, she was constantly surrounded by body-proud macho idiots, and had earned a certain disdain for the whole dating scene. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunity for you to get a dance with him."

"I don't think Jarrod really dances." Lily commented. "I don't think he does the whole social thing really well."

"It's a shame though." Michelle commented. "He's gorgeous!"

"Is he?" Susan asked casually, slugging the last of her beer casually. "I thought he was kind of a pretty boy."

Lily got an evil smirk on her face as she heard this. The lady protested too much. She knew that Jarrod had liked what he saw when Susan had come into the room the other day, and she was quickly coming to the conclusion that it was not a one-sided thing.

"I guess he is." Lily sighed. "I mean if you can look past the six-pack, the hair, the blue eyes..."

"They're brown." Susan corrected her without thinking. She realised her mistake as all the girls rounded on her with knowing grins. "I'm a cop; I notice these things, I..."

"You like him!" Fran commented, giving her another beer. Susan knew it was pointless to argue or protest. Cracking it open, she nodded.

"OK, he's kind of cute." She replied. "He's just...not my type and..."

"Sis, your last five dates were disasters." Michelle reminded her. "Two of them never called back, two of them went to the hospital and one of them has a restraining order. Maybe it's time you changed your type."

"Come on, he's cute, that's all I said." She protested. "I'm going back to San Fran in like three days! What's going to happen?"

"You won't know if you don't try honey." Her mother interjected. "Your problem's always been that you don't ever give guys a chance."

"Mom I...."

"Hell, what can one dance do?" She asked. "Besides, you are only here for the wedding. Worst case scenario, you ask him, he refuses and you never see him again after Sunday."

Susan hated this. She was used to being the one asking the questions, not the one being grilled. She hated the others having this over her.

"Michelle, I thought you were after him." She remarked trying to get the heat onto her sister instead of herself.

"Not once I knew he was taken." She replied, holding up her right pinkie. "Twin oath remembers? We don't chase the other sister's guy?"

"He's not my guy!" She protested as the others laughed. "He's not!"

"Keep telling yourself that Susie." Mrs. Rhodes chuckled, using the pet name only she was allowed to use for her. "We all believe you."

"You guys suck!" She grumbled, guzzling her beer.

Meanwhile, Jarrod climbed down from the stage after murdering 'killing me softly' while the crowd gave a polite applause.

"So has Casey been drinking his cocktails?" He asked RJ. The Wolf Master looked at Jarrod a little curiously.

"Yes, the screwdriver." He replied. "Why?"

"Let's just say there's a little more alcohol in there than he thinks." Jarrod commented, sipping his beer.

"You have something in mind, don't you?" RJ asked.

"Susan wanted to get revenge for the whole dress thing." Jarrod stated. "I agreed to help."

"Is that the only reason you helped?" RJ asked, nudging him in the ribs with his elbow.

"Why else?" He asked.

"You know Susan is kind of...attractive." RJ suggested, continuing to nudge him. "Maybe you should..."

"Look, there's nothing like that going on." He interrupted. "She's Casey's sister. She's only here for the wedding..."

"San Fran is only a short drive from here." He reminded him. "You know, a lot of relationships are based on a lot less than meeting at a wedding."

"RJ, she's a great girl and everything, but I'm just grateful to her." He protested. "She helped get Gabby back; Dom would have been in bits if anything had happened to her."

"Keep telling yourself that man." RJ answered as Theo and Casey got onto the stage to assassinate 'Summer Nights'. "Maybe someone will buy the bullshit you're selling."

Jarrod wanted to protest, but he couldn't. It hadn't escaped his notice that Susan was attractive, and if anything the only reason he shied away was because he knew she was Casey's sister. He had made progress, but he was sure Casey would not be happy about him dating one of his sisters. He also had doubts about himself. Susan was beautiful, she was strong and she was smart. Why would she want him? He was a nobody. No job on paper, no savings, no house, no car no...well...anything if he was honest. She could do so much better for herself than him, why would she ever lower herself to his level?

Susan was helping Lily clear away the empty bottles and glasses as Lily placed a hand softly on hers.

"Casey's like a little brother to me, his happiness means a lot to me." Lily began. "Don't..."

"Don't do anything with Jarrod, I've got it." Susan interrupted swiftly. "I know, he's younger than me, he's one of Casey's friends, he..."

"Susan, I wasn't going to say anything of the sort." Lily reprimanded her. Susan placed the plates back down on the table. "I was only going to say, I think Casey would be cool with it."

"Please, he ruined almost every date I had before I went to the academy!" She snapped. "He wants..."

"He wants you to be happy." Lily told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If you like Jarrod, then go for it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"He says no?" She suggested. Lily just shrugged.

"So he says no." She replied. "You're still closer to what you wanted than if you did nothing."

Dom and Jarrod carried an unconscious Casey back to JKP. Jarrod's cocktails had had their desired effect. Carrying him into the bathroom, they laid him in the bath.

"Look, are you sure this is a joke we should be pulling?" Dom asked as Susan came into the room, shaking a plastic bottle. "I mean it is his wedding..."

"It's fine." Susan assured him. "He'll be fine in time for the ceremony."

Dom left as Jarrod began taking off Casey's clothes. Susan thought about what the others had said. Jarrod wasn't THAT much younger than her, and if anything he was...

"He's ready." Jarrod informed her, pulling off his boxers. He looked at Susan, taken aback by her beauty. He didn't want to give Casey any reason to dislike him, but she was amazing. He looked into her eyes, becoming lost for a second before coming back to the present.

"Time to start." Susan croaked through the lump in her throat. She wasn't used to being so lost in a guy, but Jarrod seemed to take all her sensibilities away.

The next morning, Casey woke up, stroking his brow. He was hung over and how! He got to his feet, walking into the en-suite. Looking into the mirror, his heart stopped. He was getting married in four hours.

"SUSAN!" He roared as he pounded into the main room. She smirked at him as his mom also looked at her little boy who only had a towel to cover his modesty. "You are DEAD!"

"Is something wrong?" She chuckled.

Lily came into the room and couldn't restrain herself. She laughed aloud. His hair, eyebrows and indeed his eyelashes had been dyed the same shade of pink as his sister's dresses.


	14. Camille's Wedding

Fortunately for him, Susan had used a vegetable dye, and so one long shower later, his hair had returned to its normal colour.

"I am so glad I'm not going to have pink hair for the photos." Casey laughed, coming into the room as he fastened his tie.

"So you forgive me then?" Susan asked, handing him a glass of champagne to steady his nerves.

"I guess I kind of deserved that." He replied, taking a sip. "I guess it was a good joke."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Jarrod laughed as he showed him his cell phone. "You looked good in pink."

Casey laughed as he saw the picture Jarrod had taken of him. "Not every guy could pull off that colour."

Lily came back into the room, having finally stopped laughing at the mental image of Casey with his hair pink. She settled down onto the couch.

"Are you looking forward to the ceremony?" She asked him.

"I've been waiting for this for ages." He responded truthfully. "I can't wait. I really want us to be a proper family."

"To think, it won't be much longer until the baby comes." She reminded him. "You might even have the baby in time for Christmas."

"All going well we will." Casey responded. "Anyway, where's RJ?"

"He's gone to collect Camille and the others." She reminded him. "You know it's kind of customary for the bride to attend the wedding."

"Well I guess it's time I got ready." Susan remarked, getting up and heading into her assigned bedroom. Jarrod watched her go, thinking about what RJ had said the night before. In some ways he felt like he and Susan had a lot in common. He shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the present. What was he thinking? She was Casey's sister. Casey would freak if he thought Jarrod had designs on her.

"So have you got a speech ready?" Casey asked him. Jarrod shook his head.

"I guess I should probably give that some thought." He replied. "I'll be back in a while."

With that, he left the room.

In the nearby psychiatric hospital, Karl was brought into an examination room for his latest session with the counsellor. He had been sent to the psychiatric ward instead of prison when it was decided that he wasn't responsible for his actions. His wound was healing, and so he had been transferred from the hospital trauma ward.

"How are you feeling today Karl?" The therapist asked him. Karl sat down, stroking his chest.

"I'm not so good." He complained. "My chest really hurts."

"That isn't exactly what I meant." The therapist replied. "I was meaning..."

"No, I really don't feel good." He said, his complexion becoming distinctly grey. He began rubbing his left arm thoughtfully. "I..."

His words tailed off and he collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest. The therapist hit the button on the wall, sounding the alarm. He was joined in the room by several other doctors.

"What's going on?" The therapist called out. "He just collapsed."

"I think he's having a heart attack." One of the other doctors responded. "We need to get him to casualty now!"

Back at the registry office, Susan arrived, finding Jarrod already waiting outside. She had gone to check on the rest of the bridal party before heading to the registry office.

She caught her breath as she saw him there. Jarrod really scrubbed up well. He had rented a tux for the occasion. It was not lost on Susan that he looked good in it. She arrived beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You look pretty good." She greeted him, gesturing to his tux. Jarrod turned to face her, taking in her appearance. Even despite the hideous dress, she looked amazing. He would never have thought anyone would look good in that monstrosity, but then Susan looked good in pretty much anything.

"You look pretty good yourself." He responded. Susan blushed a little at the compliment.

"Please, I look like something from the nutcracker suite." She replied. Jarrod put an arm around her.

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that." He told her. "So is the blushing bride ready?"

"She's coming soon." She replied. "How's Casey?"

"He's starting to get nervous." He replied. "It looks like this is them."

RJ pulled up to the curb, stepping out of the car. He opened the back door, allowing Fran and Camille to get out.

"I really hope they have a chair for me like I asked." Camille stated. "My back's killing me and Junior's starting to get a little excited."

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Jarrod assured her. "Anyway, I think we're meant to be inside."

He offered an arm to Susan, smiling at her. "Would you like to join me?"

Susan smiled in response, accepting his arm as Jarrod led her inside.

"I think they look pretty good together." Fran remarked. "I really hope they don't let this pass them by."

"Well, there isn't much we can do about it." RJ interjected with a shrug. "If they don't make the move themselves, then nothing's going to happen."

"Well maybe we could just give them a gentle nudge in the right direction." Fran suggested. "Weddings do seem to have that effect on people. Maybe with a little encouragement..."

"We can worry about that later." RJ replied, taking Camille's arm. "Right now, let's get this lady up the aisle."

With that, they went inside to begin the ceremony.

At the police station, the chief had just received word from the hospital about Karl's heart attack. He now had the uncomfortable duty of informing his father that he had died.

Mr. Mason sat wordlessly in his office, stunned by the news. He had only seen his son the day before. He still couldn't believe that this was happening.

"A blood clot from his injury moved into one of his arteries causing a massive heart attack." The chief informed him. "The medical staff tried to resuscitate him, but there was nothing they could do."

"He died because of that gunshot." Mr. Mason breathed, swaying slightly on his chair. Despite the early hour, he was already noticeably drunk. "Who is responsible for this?"

"A police officer was left with no choice but to open fire." The chief stated. "He was armed..."

"He was a kid!" Mr Mason snarled. "He didn't know what he was doing..."

"Any of my officers would have done the same thing." The chief assured him. "He was a danger to others..."

"It wasn't one of your officers?" He asked, noting what he had said.

"The officer that shot him is not from OBPD. She was off duty." He informed Mr. Mason. "She's from San Francisco."

"She wasn't on duty?" Mr. Mason asked. "But..."

"I want to file a complaint." Mr. Mason stated. "I demand justice."

The chief sighed as he realised that he couldn't reason with him. He knew that Susan had acted entirely within her rights, but Mr. Mason wouldn't hear of it. All that mattered to him was that his son was dead, and Susan was to blame.

The party arrived back at JKP, where they continued to celebrate. Camille was busy showing off her wedding ring to the other girls when a knock came at the door. Jarrod answered it, finding a cop outside.

"I'm looking for Sergeant Rhodes." He began, taking off his cap. Jarrod could tell that it was a ranking officer from the style of his uniform. He showed him inside.

"Susan, there's a police officer here to see you." Jarrod informed her. She looked up a little curious as to why they were there. She stood up, making her way over.

"Sergeant Rhodes, I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation." He began. "We tried to contact you but we couldn't reach you on your cell phone."

"It's been off for most of the day." She informed them. "I was attending my brother's wedding..."

"I'm afraid that there's been a complaint made against you." He informed her. "We're investigating a D.I.C."

All the colour drained from Susan's face as she heard this. Everyone could see she was upset about something.

"What's a D.I.C.?" Casey asked her.

"Death in Custody." She informed him, a couple of tears beginning to form.

"Karl Mason suffered a massive heart attack as a result of his injury." The chief carried on. "He died earlier this morning."

Susan was completely lost for words. She'd seen her fair share of action in her career, but this was the first time anyone had died as a result of her actions. She was visibly shaken at the thought that she had killed him.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I'll need to take your badge and your gun." He stated. "As of this point, you're suspended from duty pending an investigation."

Susan went over to her jacket, retrieving her badge and gun, presenting them to the chief. He took them off her. He didn't want to do this, he knew she had only protected herself, but the fact was that now a kid was dead, and a complaint had been made.

"We'll keep you informed." He assured her. "Until this is resolved, I'd recommend you don't leave town."

Susan just nodded wordlessly as he left. Casey, Michelle and her mother came to her side to support her.

"Don't worry honey; I'm sure things will be fine." Her mother assured her. "You're a good cop, I know you didn't do anything wrong."

"If it wasn't for you, Dom and Gabby might have been killed." Casey assured her. "What are you meant to do? Wait until he starts shooting to decide he's dangerous?"

"I know this upsets you sis, but Casey and mom are right." Michelle interjected. "Karl was dangerous, he needed to be stopped."

"I can't believe he's dead." Susan muttered, taking a seat on the couch. "I killed him."

"You heard them; he died of a heart attack." Casey reminded her. "You did your job. You can't blame yourself..."

Susan got up and wiped her eyes with her wrist.

"It's fine." She rushed out, picking up a glass of champagne. "Like you said, I only acted in self-defence. Things will be fine."

"Susan, we understand if you're worried." Casey said, holding her closely. "We all know you're upset about this..."

"Casey, you've just gotten married." She reminded him with a weak smile, sipping some champagne. "Don't worry about this, you should be celebrating."

"Only if you're sure you'll be alright." He said soothingly. He wasn't convinced by Susan's assertion at all. He could see that Karl's death had affected her.

"I'm serious Casey, I'm fine." She assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Now, let's get back to celebrating. Don't let this ruin your day."

The rest of the night went by quickly. No one was really in much of a mood to celebrate since they'd found out about Karl. Despite what he had done, none of them would ever have wanted him dead. Jarrod made his way outside, finding Susan on the steps outside. It was as he sat down next to her, he realised that she was crying.

"I've never killed anyone before." She whispered to him as she realised he was there. "I can't believe he's dead."

"You didn't have a choice." He reminded her, putting an arm around her. "I'm sure the investigation..."

"I wasn't on duty and I was out of uniform." She reminded him. "If they claim he didn't know I was a cop..."

"You identified yourself." He interrupted her. "You did everything you could."

"Did I?" She asked him, looking at him thoughtfully. Her bottom lip quivered a little as she tried to second-guess herself. "What if there was another way? What if...?"

"You have a gun for a reason." He reminded her. "You had a second to act and you did what you thought was right. It's terrible that things have worked out like this, but if you hadn't shot him, then someone could have been killed."

"He was a kid Jarrod!" She sobbed, her tears coming more readily. "He was a stupid, messed up, and frightened kid. He had his whole life ahead of him."

"You can't blame yourself for this." Jarrod told her. "He stopped being a kid the moment he pulled a gun. You had to stop him."

"I'm really scared." She admitted. "I've always been the strong one, mom and sis always expect it of me, but this thing has me really scared. If they decide I didn't act correctly I could lose my job."

"I'm sure it won't come to that." He said reassuringly, stroking her back.

"It wouldn't be the first time a good cop's been sacked for something like this." She sighed. "This is more than a job to me; it's all I've ever wanted to do."

She stared at the stars, wiping away some tears. "Casey told you about what happened to dad right?"

"He said he died in the line of duty." Jarrod explained. "He was pulling a kid out of a hotel fire."

"The fire was started by an arsonist." She explained. "Ever since then all I ever wanted was to be a cop. I wanted to stop something like that happening again. If the cops had caught that guy earlier..."

"Your dad would still be alive." Jarrod concluded. Susan nodded in response. Jarrod held her in his arms as she stared into the night. She hated feeling so vulnerable, but something about Jarrod made her feel at ease. She rested her head on his shoulder; taking comfort in the arms of the man she'd only met a couple of days previously. He was there for her at a time when she needed someone. She didn't want to burden her family with this, she wanted them to believe she was alright, but right now nothing could be further from the truth. Jarrod cradled her head with his arm and gently stroked her hair. He wanted to do more to help her, but right now this was all he could do.


	15. The Lion's Share

The next day, Jarrod got ready slowly for his classes. He hadn't been happy about leaving Susan the night before. He had already gotten some idea of how independent she was by the fact that she hadn't told her family how worried she really was about the inquiry, or how upset she was by the fact that Karl was dead.

He had hurt more than a few people in his time, between his time as a bully and his time as Dai Shi's vessel, more than a few had suffered as a direct result of his actions. He still felt badly about some of the people he'd hurt. Many of them, he knew he would never be able to repay the debt he owed.

Leaving his quarters, he found Dominic sitting on the steps, tearing up some grass. He could see he was troubled by something. He sat down next to his older brother.

"What's the trouble?" He asked. "You look like you haven't slept."

"It's this thing with Susan." He told him. "It's really getting to me."

Jarrod looked at him a little confused. Dom held up his hand, showing Dom his Rhino Morpher.

"I had this with me when I went to find Gabby." He stated. "I didn't use it because I was worried about revealing my identity."

Jarrod had a feeling he knew what was troubling Dom. He put an arm around him.

"I was so worried about Gabby, I rushed in without thinking." He continued. "I never for one moment thought about the possibility of him having a gun."

"Dom, you were worried about Gabby." Jarrod reminded him. "I can understand why you did it..."

"I was about to use it when Susan arrived." He interrupted Jarrod. "If I'd morphed, I could have taken him down."

"Dom..."

"Jarrod, if I'd just thought for a minute none of this would have happened!" He snapped. "I could have taken Karl down without my Rhino Morpher, Susan would never have shot him..."

He breathed a heavy sigh and looked to the floor. "And Karl would still be alive."

"Either that or he could have shot you before you morphed." Jarrod remarked. "Or he could have shot himself and died anyway, or he could have shot Gabby by accident."

Dom ran a hand through his hair as Jarrod spoke to him. He had felt guilty about Karl's death ever since he had heard. He had convinced himself that it was his decision not to morph that had led to him being killed.

"Dom, when Karl took a gun with him, there was always the danger someone was going to die." Jarrod assured him. "By carrying a gun, he intended to use it. He had already tried to shoot you once by the time Susan arrived. It was a miracle he hadn't killed anyone."

"But if I'd morphed..."

"If you had arrived as the Rhino Ranger, he'd probably have panicked and done something stupid." Jarrod continued. "You would have been safe, that doesn't mean to say that Gabby would have."

He pulled Dominic in closely, squeezing him gently.

"If you feel bad now, how would you have felt if he had shot Gabby?" Jarrod asked him.

"I'd have been devastated." Dominic agreed. "I'd never have been able to forgive myself."

"Sometimes bad things happen." Jarrod reminded him. "All you can do is remind yourself what went right and move on from it."

"So when did you become the smart one?" Dom asked. Jarrod just slapped him on the back as they got up to make their way through the temple.

"I always was the smart one Dom." He chuckled. "You're having dinner with Gabby's folks tonight, aren't you?"

"Don't remind me." He groaned. "I don't know how I got into this."

"Are you kidding?" Jarrod asked with a laugh. "The last I heard, her parents were rich and thought the sun shone out your backside! Isn't that most guy's dream?"

"I'm serious bro, I'm nothing like her parents." He reminded him. "I don't exactly come across as being one of the…elite."

"Do you think that's a problem?" Jarrod asked. "They seem to like you."

"They're grateful to me for getting Gabby back." He replied. "But let's face it. I'm not exactly from the same kind of social circle."

"Dom…"

"Jarrod, the kind of guy they want for her is like them." He interrupted. "Big house, good car…"

"Dom, none of that matters." Jarrod assured him. "Gabby loves you."

"Maybe it does matter." He replied. "Seriously, what can I offer her? It's not as if my bank book compares to her dads. I never even went to college, I only got my high school diploma online last year…"

"You know I think you're reading too much into this." Jarrod stated. "None of this was a problem before. Why are you worrying now?"

"It's just that until now it's only been me and Gabby to worry about." He said sadly. "Now her parents are involved. I just don't want them to think I'm not good enough for her."

"Well even if they don't, would it be the end of the world?" Jarrod asked. "Traditionally parents are meant to hate the boyfriend."

"I'm serious." Dominic reiterated. "I know Gabby's into me, but it's not like I have a whole lot to offer her."

"I think she's the one that should decide that, don't you?" He asked. "Besides, you're just going to dinner."

"Well it sure feels like I'm going to be judged." Dom sighed. "I just don't feel comfortable around there. It just kind of reminds me what I'll never be able to give her."

"Just give them a chance." Jarrod responded. "It might not be that bad."

"I'll try." Dom replied. "So where are you going?"

"Susan seemed upset last night." He answered. "I wanted to see how she was."

"Seriously?" Dom asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Now would you cut that out?" He snapped. "I got enough crap from RJ about that at the wedding. Look, I just want to make sure she's alright…"

"Give her a shoulder to cry on." Dom teased him.

Jarrod shot him an evil glance before turning and walking away. He had to admit that Dom and RJ were pretty close to the mark. He was kind of interested in Susan. Hell, he was VERY interested in Susan. He had loved getting to know her since he'd met her, but now wasn't the time.

Given the way she was when he'd left her the other night; he had a keener understanding of how badly this business had shaken her. She was upset and worried about her job, but more than that, she was deeply shaken by Karl's death.

She had confided in him that it had been the first time she had killed anyone. It was an occupational hazard, Jarrod had reminded her himself that cops were armed for a reason, but that didn't give her any real comfort. It was a terrible twist of fate that the first suspect that died as a result of her actions had been so young. He already knew that one of the main reasons she was so upset was because it was a kid. It wasn't that long ago Casey was his age. He was only a couple of years older than Karl. He figured that had to play on her mind when she heard the news.

He made his way down to Jungle Karma, finding Susan outside, just returning from the paper shop. He could swear he saw her spirits lifting a little as he arrived. She managed to force a little half-smile.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked. She could see him wincing as soon as the question came out. He did want her to feel better; he just hadn't meant to seem so abrupt about it. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing she was going to just shrug off overnight. Not least because of the inquiry.

"I was." She sighed, handing him the paper. Jarrod unfolded it, revealing the headline of the front page.

"Teen Hockey Sensation Slain."

"It didn't take the tabloids long." She muttered, sweeping some hair out of her face. "They mentioned that there's an internal inquiry."

"I guess Karl's dad talked." He commented.

"They didn't mention me by name." She informed him. "They just mentioned that he was shot by a cop from San Francisco, he died in custody and that there's an internal inquiry."

"But that's only part of the story." Jarrod stated.

"But they've not said anything untrue, or mentioned me by name." She replied. "So I can't get them to pull the headline. They'd probably take it as a sign I was guilty and say the police were trying to strong-arm them into covering up the truth."

"They shouldn't be allowed to get away with that." Jarrod remarked. Susan snorted in response.

"That's the down side of freedom of speech." She stated. "The thing is a story about a cop shooting a kid will sell far more papers than a story about a cop shooting a kid that kidnapped another kid, had been proven to be mentally ill and was carrying a gun."

Jarrod looked at her sympathetically as they made their way inside and sat down. He felt like she was trying to handle too much herself. He was sure she still hadn't talked to her mom or her siblings about it. He knew that she was trying to keep them reassured that she was alright, but he knew that she wasn't. If anything this newspaper only made things worse, it stated what he was sure many people would think.

"Do you have anything to do today?" He asked her. Susan shrugged.

"I still have to go in and make a statement." She responded. "I'm not under arrest, so I can do that anytime, but I kind of wanted to get it out of the way."

"Well maybe you should clear your head a little first." He suggested, offering her a hand. "Come on, I'll show you where I go to clear my head."

Susan took his hand and followed him. He kind of had a point. If she was going to make a statement to the police about the incident, then clearing her mind was probably the best thing she could do.

Dom arrived outside Gabby's house a little after 1PM. Although he was there for dinner, he knew her father was expecting all the guests early. He always had a large get-together every few months for all of his friends. He had a feeling that this was an opportunity for him to parade the new man in Gabby's life.

He had dressed as tidily as he could, but as he walked up the path and saw the valets her father had hired for the event, he felt totally underdressed. He hadn't specified the event was black-tie, and so Dom had just settled for his best shirt and pants. Unfortunately everyone else there was dressed like they were at a society dinner. He was also the only one arriving on foot. Everyone else drew up in expensive cars. He felt so self-conscious that he almost regretted agreeing to come. As he came up to the front door, he was suddenly greeted by Gabby's mother.

"Dominic, I'm so glad you came!" She shrieked. Dom leant in to accept and return a kiss on the cheek. She pointed to a bouquet of roses in Dom's hand. "I suppose they're for Gabby?"

"They are indeed Barbara." He replied with a smile. He was feeling a little better at having come when Barbara greeted him so warmly. "I got you a little something too."

"You needn't have bothered." She replied, accepting a small box of chocolates from him. "Dark Belgians? I guess Gabby told you they're my favourites. I've always had a sweet tooth."

"Oh come now Barbara, you've got a lot more than just a sweet tooth." A young man interrupted, arriving and interjecting himself between Dom and Gabby's mother. He seemed to be about Gabby's age, possibly a little older, with immaculately styled blonde hair. He was wearing an expensive tuxedo and was carrying a bouquet that made Dom's seem tiny by comparison. He kissed her cheek. "Until I heard this young man use your name I thought you were Gabby."

"Oh stop flattering me Charles." She replied, giggling a little. Dom immediately didn't like this guy. His temper wasn't helped when he thrust the bouquet into his arms, before slipping him a twenty dollar bill. "Put those in some water would you?"

"Charles, this isn't one of the staff. This is Dominic." She informed him. "He's a guest."

"Oh." He said with a slightly insincere tone. "Sorry about the misunderstanding. I'm so embarrassed. Charles Farnesworth."

Dom looked at his hand for a second as Charles offered it, before shaking it.

"Dominic Hargan." He replied briskly. "Farnesworth, I know that name."

"You should do, my father owns the race track." He answered in a laugh. "He and mother are in Aspen for the weekend, so I'm here in their stead. Now, where is Gabby? I heard about what happened."

"Dom!" Gabby shrieked, running out of the house to greet him. She was dressed in a short, pink dress for the occasion. She grabbed Dominic and kissed him enthusiastically. Dom had to stop himself smirking as he saw the look on Charles's face. He looked like he'd just swallowed a whole lemon. Gabby saw the new arrival and seemed to chill a little.

"Charles." She forced through a fake smile. "It's been a long time."

"Too long Gabby." He responded, kissing her hand. "I heard all about what happened to you. You simply must..."

"I'd rather not talk about it right now." She interrupted him, pulling Dominic in closer. "It is a party after all."

"And it's a party Gabby wouldn't be here for if it hadn't been for Dom." Barbara interjected.

"Then I guess we're all indebted to you." Charles stated through a forced smile. "I'd simply love to hear more about Gabby's knight in shining armour."

"Come on inside, we'll get these flowers in water." Barbara suggested. She and Gabby went inside. Dom slipped the twenty into Charles' breast pocket.

"I believe that's yours." He said, making his way inside. Charles gave him an icy glare behind his back. He wasn't used to being shoved aside like that, and he wasn't on starting now.

Meanwhile, Jarrod arrived with Susan at a farm a little outside of town. It had seen better days, the house was clearly still under repair, but work was well underway. The land had been prepared for use for agriculture again, and crops were already beginning to take root. As they approached, the man tending the land smiled and gestured to the house.

"Jarrod!" He greeted him warmly. "I wasn't expecting you. Laura, Ashley, Mary its Jarrod!"

His wife and two daughters ran out, and they all hugged Jarrod with excitement. He laughed as he exchanged pleasantries with them.

"Everybody, I'd like you to meet Susan." He introduced her. "Susan, this is the Fisher family. Bill, his wife Laura and his two daughters, Ashley and Mary."

"I'm pleased to meet you." Laura greeted Susan with a handshake, giving a little glance to Jarrod. "She's pretty, you've done well for yourself there."

"Uh, she isn't..." Jarrod stammered out nervously, running a hand through his hair. "She's just a friend. Listen, she's kind of going through a rough time. Would you mind if we borrow the horses for a while?"

"Not a problem Jarrod." Bill stated. "This is technically your land still."

"I told you, it's yours." Jarrod replied. "And thanks."

Jarrod led Susan in the direction of the stables. She approached the questions in her mind.

"Did they say this was your farm?" She asked.

"It's a long story." He explained. "The Fishers lived here when I was a kid. I grew up not far from this farm. They called it the Heartland."

"I like that." She stated.

"So did I." He told her. "My parents...my adoptive parents...weren't around much. They thought taking care of kids meant throwing a bunch of money at them. When they weren't around and I felt alone, they'd let me play on the farm and ride the horses. I loved it here. I have a lot of good memories here." He pointed to a large oak tree a little way off. "I had my first kiss under that tree. Ashley and I were both seven at the time."

"It's really beautiful here." Susan agreed. "I can see why you like it here. So how did you end up owning it?"

He paused for a second. He couldn't tell her the true story. How could he explain that Carnisoar had erased all his good deeds to make Dai Shi more powerful? She didn't even know about Pai Zhuq, never mind that he had been the host for an evil dragon spirit.

"When I was young Mr. Fisher lost his job." He informed her. "He couldn't make his mortgage repayments, so they lost the farm. I'm sure you've noticed it fell into a little disrepair. One of the things I hated most was the fact I didn't do anything at the time."

"I don't know what you could have done." Susan said reassuringly. "You were only a kid."

"Well a few months ago I found out that my parents...my adoptive parents...set up a trust fund in my name when they took me in a few months ago." He continued. "It turns out the accountants handled it really well. Because of the credit crunch, the land was worth a fraction of its true value, so I bought it. I then found the Fishers and made them a deal. They could pay me back a little at a time, and I'd give them the farm."

"That's amazing." She remarked, her eyes lighting up as he concluded the story. "I can't believe you'd put yourself out for them like that."

"Well I owe them a lot." He replied. What happened to the Fishers was genuinely one of the things that hurt him the most about his time as Dai Shi's vessel. He was completely elated when he found out that he could do something to correct that injustice.

"We're here." He told her, showing her into the barn. Susan's face lit up as she saw the horses. "I managed to buy back two of their horses too."

"They're beautiful." She gushed looking at them. "Thunderbolt and Seabreeze?"

"Seabreeze was a great jumper back in the day." He told her. "Thunderbolt was my favourite stallion. I rode him for the first time when I was 12."

He grabbed a saddle, gesturing to the horses. "You want to go for a ride now?"

Susan suddenly grew a little nervous. She was a city girl born and raised, she'd never even seen a horse up close, never mind ridden one. Jarrod could see her reaction and couldn't help laughing a little. This was a woman who had faced down dangerous armed criminals many times and she was scared of a horse.

"Seabreeze is really gentle." He assured her. "She loved to take people riding. Just, try not to be too nervous. If you're nervous, how do you think she's going to feel?"

Susan approached the horse slowly, reaching out a hand. Her hand was shaking a little, and her eyes betrayed her nerves, but Seabreeze didn't disappoint him. She reached out with her muzzle, allowing Susan to stroke her. Susan smiled at the display.

"She likes you." He told Susan, throwing the saddle onto Seabreeze. "You wouldn't want to disappoint her after all that now would you?"

"No." She replied, making her way to the side as Jarrod finished with the saddle. He helped her up, getting her onto the saddle and handing her the reigns, showing her how to hold them. He then went and prepared Thunderbolt, riding him out to join Susan.

"It's been a while, hasn't it old boy?" Jarrod asked him, gently clapping the stallion. "Now, I'll take you on a gentle ride."

Susan followed Jarrod's lead, feeling a lot more at ease. She had almost forgotten her apprehension about the inquiry, all she could think about was how peaceful it was out here. She looked over to him, feeling her chest tighten a little. She couldn't deny that she was having feelings for him. He was younger than her, but not by much, and he seemed to be a genuinely thoughtful and caring guy, nothing like many of the men she'd dated back in the city. She started to wonder if maybe she'd been a little hasty in judging the situation. After all, San Francisco wasn't that far away.

Back at the dinner party, Dominic was enjoying talking with a few of the guests. Most of them had known Gabby since she was an infant, and so they were all curious to meet her saviour and current beau. Clearly her parents had been singing his praises. Charles came back over to Dominic as he took a glass of champagne from one of the waiters.

"So Dominic, what do you do for a living?" He asked. "I heard about that situation with the police. So tell me, are you the police officer that shot the kidnapper?"

"No, I'm not a cop." Dominic replied. Judging from the way Charles was swaying as he stood and seeing the glass of brandy in his hand, he could tell he was drunk. "I was there, but I'm not a cop. Now it's a situation I'd rather not talk about."

"Why ever not? I would have thought you'd be glad he's gone." Charles stated. "Why, I just wish I knew who did it so that I could thank them in person."

"Charles, I think you've had enough." Gabby's father suggested, reaching for his glass. He could see that Dom and Gabby were getting upset.

"All I'm saying is having one less criminal in the world is nothing to be upset about." He continued, snatching the glass away. "That officer deserves a medal, not an inquiry..."

"For your information, I know the cop that shot him, and I doubt she'd agree it's a good thing that a kid is dead!" Dominic spat. "You know, I'm glad I met you Charles, I was a little self-conscious coming here, but you've shown me that I've nothing to be ashamed of. I might not be some college-educated big shot with a huge bank balance my daddy gave me, but at least I'm not a drunken judgemental jackass like you!"

Gabby caught up with Dom as he reached the driveway.

"Dom, I'm so sorry about that." She rushed out. "Charles is a jerk, he has been since we were kids."

"Tell your dad I'm sorry I ruined the party." He replied. "I know everyone there probably thinks I'm a loser now."

"Actually most of us haven't had such a good laugh in ages." George stated as he arrived. "We all put up with Charles because his dad's a friend of the family, but he's always been a spoiled little brat. Personally I've wanted someone to say something like that to him for years."

"I just wish this didn't have to happen." Dom responded. "I mean, I know I'm not like most of your friends..."

"Neither am I." He interrupted. "I earned all my money. Barbara's father gave me a hard time because I wasn't from and old money family. The only thing that's important to me is that you make Gabby happy. As long as you continue to do that, you'll be alright by me."

Back on the farm, Jarrod led Susan back into the barn, leaping off Thunderbolt. He brought them both back into the enclosure.

"Did you enjoy that?" He asked her, looking up at her. Susan's smile was radiant. She was considerably brighter than it had been at the start of the day.

"I had a great time." She replied. "Thank you Jarrod. I really needed to get my mind off things."

She started to climb down from the horse, only to stumble and fall. Jarrod caught her, holding her tightly.

"Um...sorry." She whispered. "I guess I'm not used to dismounts yet."

"It takes practice." He replied, looking into her eyes. In that moment there was a spark between them that they couldn't deny. Susan reached around Jarrod's head and began drawing closer. His heart beat faster and he drew closer, becoming lost in her kiss. It had been a truly great day for both of them. As they parted, Susan was noticeably blushing. She hadn't meant for things to go this far.

"We...um...we should go." She eventually managed to say.

"Of course." Jarrod replied. "I'll just lock up here."

As she left the barn to wait outside, Jarrod wondered how exactly he'd gotten himself into this. He knew he liked Susan, and normally he'd have been delighted by how close they'd become. However, he couldn't help feeling guilty. He couldn't help feeling like he was taking advantage of her.


	16. Susan's Rough Day

A couple of hours later, Susan had left the farm and was now sitting in the corridor of the Ocean Bluff Police Department for someone to call her. She had been asked to make a statement about what had happened on the night she'd shot Karl. She didn't even notice the other officer's curious glances and hushed whispers. By now she was sure that news of the inquiry had made its way through the locker room, so she knew that they would already be well aware of why she was there. Her mind though was still on what had happened earlier with Jarrod.

She hadn't meant for things to go so far with him. He had taken her to the farm to go horse riding to take her mind off her recent troubles. She could see why he loved it there; it was so beautiful and peaceful there. Everything was so still and quiet, it was easy to just clear her mind and sort through her thoughts. It was a far cry from the fast pace and noise of San Francisco she was used to.

She remembered seeing him with a childish glee she hadn't seen in him as he rode Thunderbolt. He was always kind of brooding and stoic, but in that moment, she could imagine him as the child who used to play there with the Fisher's children.

Of course that wasn't all that had happened. She could remember falling as she tried to get off the horse. Having never ridden before, she wasn't sure how to dismount, and so had totally misjudged the horse's height and fallen. Jarrod had caught her, preventing her from hitting the ground.

She could remember feeling her heart beating a little faster. Although she had protested as her sister and the other girls teased her about it at the bachelorette party, she had to admit that she'd been attracted to him. Feeling his strong, muscular arms clamped around her protectively had given her a warm thrill she hadn't felt in...Well in truth she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like that, or even IF she'd ever felt like that before. Looking into his eyes, she lost all her sensibilities and had drawn into a passionate kiss.

She buried her head in her hands. How had this happened? Sure Jarrod was attractive, but he was one of Casey's friends. He was kid.

Of course he wasn't that much younger than her. He had been at the school with Casey and she could remember him talking about Jarrod in his letters. He had been there for a good couple of years before he arrived. He was what? About 22, maybe 23? She was only 25 herself...

Her attention was grabbed as Dom passed her in the hall, touching her shoulder to show support. Both he and Gabby had been the only other ones at the cabin when she shot Karl, and so they also needed to give statements. Dom was the only other one that saw the shot being fired, and so his was going to be the most important statement. They had already been warned that they shouldn't talk to each other in case they jeopardised the integrity of their statements. She knew Gabby must be somewhere else in the station to go over again the events of her kidnapping. She just nodded to return his gesture. She was approached a short time later by a man in a Lieutenant's uniform, who came and sat beside her.

"You're Sergeant Rhodes aren't you?" He asked her. She almost screamed at him. Who in the hell else was she likely to be? She was waiting outside the interview room! She restrained herself, thinking that he might be the one sent to take her statement.

"Yes, I'm Susan Rhodes." She replied. "Are you here to take my statement?"

He looked around making sure no one could hear him. The hall was momentarily clear.

"No, but I was at the cabin." He told her. "I arrived a little after you fired that shot."

"Oh." She muttered. "Look, I really don't want to talk..."

"Of course I could always say I arrived before the shot." He suggested. "This job is hard enough without having everyone and his uncle scrutinising every move we make."

Susan could hardly believe what she was hearing. He was offering to lie to the committee to clear her. Another eyewitness testimony from a cop was all but sure to clear her.

"You see, I know about all the great work you've done in San Fran. I have a lot of friends there." He continued. "I'd hate to see an officer as promising as you losing her job over this."

Susan looked at him, taking in his appearance. He was a lot larger than her, about six feet tall with a healthy build, that was starting to lose to middle-age spread. His hair was brown and slightly greying at the temples. He had icy blue eyes that held a certain sincerity about them that was out of place considering he was suggesting they commit a crime. He smiled, showing her perfect white teeth.

"I'm not sure..."

"Just think about it and get back to me." He told her, slipping her his card. "You know that this is all just about keeping the press happy. No one cares if a good cop gets sacked. When a kid gets killed it's more about punishing someone than justice in the eyes of the public."

He left, walking away and leaving her alone with her thoughts. She knew what he had suggested was wrong. He hadn't seen the events of that day, to say so would be a criminal offence. Of course he did have a point. It wouldn't have been the first time that a good cop was sent to prison or fired simply to appease a public outrage, and nothing caused that kind of reaction more than when a kid died as a result of the actions of a police officer.

"Sergeant Rhodes?" A man in a suit called her. She looked up, seeing another standing beside him. "I'm Detective Reeves, and this is Detective Mortimer."

"No jokes." Detective Mortimer warned her. "We've heard them all."

"We're ready for you now." He informed her, opening the interview room. "Come this way."

Susan put the card away in the back pocket of her jeans and followed them inside. Jarrod had taken her riding to clear her mind. Of course now she was more confused than ever.

Meanwhile, Dom had been taken into another interview room. He was sitting across from a couple of uniformed officers, waiting for the questioning to begin. The senior officer was busy reading through the noted of the kidnapping case to bring himself back up to speed.

"So your girlfriend was being stalked by Karl Mason." He stated. "And at no point did you consider calling the police."

"We suggested she should, but we all knew there was no evidence to suggest who he was." Dom reminded him. "We figured that the best course of action was just to keep an eye on things and alert you if things became more serious."

"Well you did a great job of that didn't you?" He snapped sarcastically. "Your precious little Gabby was snatched from the parking lot of a public school in broad daylight!"

"We all know we didn't handle things brilliantly." Dom snapped in response. "We were all terrified when she went missing."

"So you say that you realised who the kidnapper was when Karl didn't turn up to hockey practice." He continued, ignoring Dom's outburst.

"Mark told us." He replied. "He called me on his cell phone when he realised."

"For the benefit of the tape, this is Mark Klinsky?" He asked.

"Yes." Dom replied.

"So after finding out who kidnapped your girlfriend, Susan Rhodes talked you into calling the police and placed the call." He carried on. "But you left that night after dark in search of his fishing cabin."

"That's correct." Dom sighed. "I know it wasn't the smartest move, but Gabby means the world to me."

"I can sympathise." He responded. "You arrived at the cabin, and found her car outside. You then stormed into the cabin without support from the police?"

"I wasn't thinking." Dom interjected, beginning to glow a little red just thinking about that day. "He'd been holding her overnight! There was no telling what he might have done to her."

"And then you fought." He continued. "He pulled out the gun during that fight and fired one shot in the cabin. Is that correct?"

"You should have the bullet." Dom grumbled.

"We need the events as you remember them in your statement." The officer reminded him.

"He fired one shot." Dom replied quietly, trying to restrain his temper. "I managed to get out the way before he fired."

"You then disarmed him?" He asked.

"I distracted him by throwing change at him." Dom recalled. "Then I tackled him again. We went outside and fought some more. He managed to overpower me because of my injuries."

"Oh, right he hit you with a car earlier in the week." He responded. "So what happened then?"

"He picked the gun up and pointed it at me." Dom told him. "That was when Susan arrived."

"For the benefit of the tape." The officer reminded him.

"Sergeant Susan Rhodes." Dom stated.

"Was she in uniform?" The officer asked.

"No." Dominic replied. "She was off-duty. She was only in Ocean Bluff for her brother's wedding."

"So is it possible he didn't know she was a police officer?" He asked. Dom thought hard to remember the day. He wasn't really concentrating at the time, not when Karl was pointing a gun at him. He closed his eyes, clearing his mind for a second.

"What are you doing?" The other officer asked.

"I'm meditating." Dom answered. "I'm trying to focus my mind."

He was back at the woods, kneeling on the ground reaching for his rhino morpher when Susan arrived.

"_Put down the gun Karl"_

"_Who the hell are you?"_

"_I'm a cop!"_

"She identified herself as a cop." He stated, snapping back into the room. "She told him she was a cop."

"Did she fire a warning shot?" He asked. Dom shook his head.

"For the benefit of the tape, the witness is shaking his head." The other officer stated.

"Did she give him any kind of warning?" The senior officer asked.

"She ordered him to drop the gun three times." Dominic recalled. "He turned towards her, at which time she shot him."

"How many times did she fire?" He asked.

"Only once." Dominic replied. "Then she covered him. That's when the other officers arrived."

"I think that should be everything." He concluded. "We'll contact you if we need to speak to you again."

Dom didn't know how to take that comment. He tried to remember everything he'd said, trying to figure out if there was anything he'd forgotten, or anything that he had said that could unintentionally incriminate her. All he could do now was wait and see what happened, and hope for the best.

In her own interview, Susan was nervously answering questions, much as Dom had.

"I ordered him to drop the gun three times." She recalled. "When he turned towards me, I shot him. Once he was down, I kept him covered and kicked the gun away."

"How many shots did you fire?" The detective asked her.

"Only once." She replied. "I hit him square in the chest from close range. He went down with one shot."

"I just need to ask you one more question." He stated. "Did anyone other than yourself or Dominic Hargan see the shot being fired?"

Susan thought about it for a second. She couldn't help thinking about the card in her back pocket. This could seal the deal. This could ensure she walked out with her job. Suddenly though she felt her chest tighten. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. She became a cop to stop crimes being committed, not to commit them herself. It might cost her job, but she'd rather have to find another job than turn into that kind of cop.

"No, we were the only ones there." She replied. "The other officers arrived after Karl was down."

"That should be all for now." He responded. "We'll be in touch. I'd suggest you don't leave town, this shouldn't take too long."

Susan didn't know how to take that statement. In some ways it was good that they would make their decision quickly. Of course they might not take long to decide that she was fired. She felt like she needed to do something to make herself feel more at ease. Her thoughts turned immediately to Jarrod. She wanted to be sure she had done the right thing, and knowing how he made her feel about herself when she had read the paper that morning, she knew he would make her feel better. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled Jarrod's number.

"Jarrod, its Susan." She began. "Listen, I think we should talk about what happened earlier. Could you meet me at the sushi place by the harbour?"

She smiled as he agreed, putting her phone away. She couldn't wait to see him again.

She arrived to find Jarrod already waiting for her. She couldn't help smiling as she saw him and she sat down.

"Look, I know you're going through a lot." Jarrod began, pre-empting what she was going to say. "I didn't mean for things to go down like that. I knew you needed cheering up. I shouldn't have taken advantage..."

He was stopped in his tracks as she started laughing.

"You are too cute, do you know that?" She replied. "Take advantage of me? Please, I'm a big girl. I knew what I was doing."

She reached for his hand, taking it gently. "Jarrod, it's sweet that you want to protect me, but seriously. I'm fine. Sure this whole business is rough on me, it still might turn out badly, but the thing about this is." She paused for a second to catch her breath. Her face felt warmer and she knew she was blushing. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. "I like you Jarrod. I have since we met."

"Seriously?" He asked as a starter platter arrived. He couldn't contain his joy as he heard this. He knew that things still weren't exactly great, and it still felt a little wrong to be starting anything at this time. "Susan, I..."

"Just shut up and kiss me again." She interrupted him. Jarrod leant over, bringing his lips to hers, raising a cheer from the nearby tables. Both of them blushed at this, it would have been better if this wasn't quite such a public spectacle, but this felt good.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." He informed her. "I'll be right back."

Susan watched him go, feeling more at ease with everything that had gone down. She had known all along that she couldn't have made a false statement. She was now sure that no matter what happened, she would be alright. She just had to take care of one thing first. She wrote Jarrod a note on a napkin promising to meet him back at the apartment, before leaving. She pulled out her cell phone and the card she'd been given earlier in the day and dialled.

"I'd like to meet with you." She began. "We need to talk."

Jarrod came back finding the note. He was a little disappointed that she wasn't there, but he smiled as he read it.

"I had something to take care of, but meet me back at JKP later.

Love, Susan."

He simply gestured over the waiter and called for the check as he finished his starter. He could get something at JKP anyway, and he was sure that he'd rather have some more time with her in private given the embarrassing public nature of their first real kiss.

Susan arrived at an abandoned warehouse a few blocks from the restaurant, knocking on the steel shutters. It opened, and inside she found a patrol car, along with the Lieutenant she had met earlier. She stepped inside as he activated the door control, bringing the shutter down again.

"Lieutenant Matthews." She greeted him. "I needed to talk to you."

"Please, call me David." He continued. "I guess this is about my offer."

"I just wanted to warn you that you might be asked to make a statement." She continued.

Susan's heart froze as she heard a distinctive mechanical click behind her. Someone had cocked a gun.

"Hands where I can see them," he instructed her, "you can never be too careful in this game."

She held her hands up in the air as two men came out of hiding in front of her. Their faces were covered by ski masks, and they were wearing leather gloves, but one thing was obvious. They were wearing police uniforms. These guys were cops. The third arrived behind her, pulling off her jacket and rifling through the pockets as the others kept her covered. The one with the jacket pulled a tape recorder out of her inside pocket.

"Now you can't think this is the first time someone's tried something like this can you?" He asked. One of the others grabbed Susan, handcuffing her hands behind her back as Matthews pulled on a pair of gloves, before pulling out some duct tape. He slapped it over her mouth, pulling it tightly. Looking around, she could guess what was coming next. With the shutter down, no one could see into the warehouse, and now no one would hear her screaming for help. He grabbed her, ramming her roughly against the patrol car.

"You see, my friends and I earn a lot more than basic salary and a healthy pension." He explained, grabbing a couple of her fingers, before wrenching them hard, breaking them. Susan screamed, though the tape stopped it from being heard beyond the warehouse. "So we can't let some big-mouthed, idealistic snitch expose us."

Tears fan down her face as he broke the next two fingers, before grabbing her thumb.

"You may wonder what the point is in them hiding their faces if you already know who I am." He taunted her, breaking her thumb. He pulled out his business card and put it in his own pocket. "Trust me sweetheart, by the time we're finished, you'll be lucky if you can remember your OWN name."

Back at JKP, Jarrod was waiting patiently for Susan. He heard the phone ringing and answered it.

"This is Detective Reeves with the Ocean Bluff Police department." The voice began. "Can I speak with Susan Rhodes?"

"Susan isn't here." Jarrod replied. "Can I take a message?"

"We weren't able to reach her on her cell phone." He continued. "We just phoned to inform her that the committee has ruled in her favour. She is free to return to duty whenever she likes."

"I'll tell her that." Jarrod replied, beginning to get a little confused by the fact she wasn't answering her phone. "Thank you."

As soon as he hung up, he dialled Susan's cell phone himself, but found that it went straight to her voice mail. Where the hell was she?

Matthews put away his nightstick and pulled off his gloves as one of his accomplices uncuffed Susan. By now she was lying in a bloody, battered heap on the floor, completely unmoving.

"Trash the tape." He ordered one of his accomplices as they got into the patrol car, taking off their masks. "I guess I was wrong about her. Shame really, I kind of liked her."

They pulled away, leaving Susan lying alone in the warehouse. She was still there a couple of hours later by the time a couple of homeless guys came looking for somewhere to stay for the night.

"I told you, no one ever comes here." One of them assured his friend.

"Well it looks like someone does." The other replied, pointing to Susan. They both approached her cautiously. They inspected her for a second.

"Her shoes and her jacket are too small." The first one stated. "Maybe there's some money here."

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" The other asked.

"Hey, survival of the fittest man." The first stated. "It's not like she'll need it."

"Wait." The second said, holding up a hand. He pointed to a small white puff of breath coming from her mouth in the cold air. "I think she's still alive."

"Holy crap! Let's get out of here!" The first yelled, panicking.

"No way man, we have to get her help!" The second stated. He noticed her cell phone lying on the ground a little way off and picked it up, switching it on. He dialled 911.

"I can't tell you who this is, but someone down here seriously needs an ambulance." He yelled, covering her over with her jacket.


	17. Bad Timing

The ambulance arrived at the warehouse a short time later. The homeless men who had found Susan had told them how to get in, but had long since fled the scene. Hanging around a dead body, or someone who looked like they were about to die rarely led to anything good. The paramedics made their way inside, looking around.

"Clive, she's over here!" The first one called as he found Susan. He put down his kit as the other arrived with a back board.

"Jeez Lou, is she still breathing?" Clive asked him, looking at Susan's battered form on the ground. She was covered in scrapes and bruises from her brutal ordeal. Her flesh was pale from the long period of time she had been left in the cold warehouse in her current state. The right side of her face was discoloured and badly swollen, making her almost completely unrecognisable.

"Not for lack of trying." Lou replied, checking her pulse and holding a hand in front of her face. He pulled the tape gently off her mouth to allow her to breathe more easily. "I doubt whoever did this intended her to survive the experience."

"Right, let's just get her to the hospital." Clive chipped in, putting the backboard down beside her. The paramedics gently rolled her onto it. Clive began attaching a rigid collar and strapping her down to isolate her movements. If her spine was injured, then he didn't want to make the situation any worse. "Her wallet isn't on her. See if you can find anything we can use to identify her."

Lou looked around, finding her discarded jacket. Looking through the pockets, he failed to find anything. His eye suddenly caught sight of a black leather wallet a little way off on the floor. Picking it up, he opened it, looking through it.

"Her cards and her driver's licence are in here." He began. "But her money's gone. I think it's safe to say whoever called us took her money."

"Charming," Lou grumbled sarcastically, "right, she's ready to move. Let's get us out of here."

Meanwhile, RJ got out of bed, making his way to the kitchen. Lily had told him she wanted some water, but he was still coddling her after the whole incident with Karl, and insisted on getting it himself. As he turned on the tap, he became aware of the fact someone was sleeping on the couch. Making his way over, he found Jarrod there. He gently shook him awake.

"Jarrod?" He asked. "I thought you went home."

Jarrod rubbed his eyes and sat up on the couch. He must have dozed off while he was waiting for Susan.

"Sorry, I must have drifted off for a second." He replied. "What time is it?"

"It's after midnight." RJ informed him. "It's not that I mind house guests, but what are you doing here?"

Jarrod didn't really know how to answer that, he and Susan had only really started to discuss things a few hours ago. He wasn't sure what was going on himself. She had admitted she liked him, and she had asked him to meet her here, but then she hadn't shown up. He had fallen asleep while he was waiting for her.

"I was..." He began, shaking his head. "Did Susan come back?"

"Not that I can remember." He said, a smile starting to form. "She hasn't been back since you took her away this morning. Why? Did something happen?"

"She was meant to meet me here." Jarrod replied. "I was..."

His words tailed off as he saw the sly grin on RJ's face. He was busted and he knew it.

"Something did happen." RJ said cheerfully. "I knew you liked her."

Jarrod just groaned. It was pointless to deny it by now; he knew RJ could see right through him. He just resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to admit it.

"OK, I like her." He replied gently. "I took her riding on the Heartland. I thought she could do with clearing her head."

"Well she has been a little down since all this began." RJ agreed.

"Well, she really enjoyed herself. She and Seabreeze really hit it off." He continued. "Thing is, when we got back, one thing led to another and we kissed."

RJ smiled at him. He kind of got the feeling something was going down between them.

"So did she kiss you back?" He asked.

"I'd say it was pretty mutual." Jarrod replied with a blush. "After she'd given her statement, she called me and invited me to that sushi place by the harbour. When I got there, she told me she liked me and kissed me again."

"Well I think that's pretty conclusive then." RJ said, putting an arm around him. "I'm really happy for both of you."

"The thing is she left me this note when I went to the bathroom." Jarrod told him, handing him the napkin. "She said she was going to meet me here, but she hasn't. That isn't like her."

"She's a big girl Jarrod. She said she had something to take care of." RJ reminded him. "I'm sure she just got held up."

"Well I can't help but worry she's started to have doubts." Jarrod replied. "I mean, I am younger than her..."

"Lily's four years younger than me." RJ reminded him. "If the relationship is right for the two of you, that's all that matters."

"Well I hope Casey sees it that way." He continued. "I doubt he'll be happy."

"Well he might not be." RJ responded. "But he'll get used to the idea. Are you really going to pass this up just because you're worried what Casey will say?"

Jarrod just sat and thought about it as RJ returned to his wife with her water. He had a feeling that things were going to be alright. Susan just seemed right for Jarrod.

At Ocean Bluff hospital, a doctor was taking a long-deserved break outside. He had been on-shift now for almost 12 hours, and he still had a long way to go before he could get home to his bed. He lit up a cigarette, but groaned and threw it aside as the ambulance arrived.

"What do we have?" He asked as the paramedics rolled Susan's gurney into the ER, following them closely.

"Female, mid twenties Dr. Wallace. She seems to be the victim of a violent assault." Clave answered. "Her heart and pulse rate are pretty weak. We've stabilised her as much as we can."

"Her BP's dropping, she's bleeding out somewhere. Call the OR and tell them we're on the way." Dr. Wallace barked at a nurse, continuing to check over her. "God, whoever did this left her in a real mess. Once we've found the bleed and sorted that I'll need everything. Full X-ray, CAT scan, the works!"

"We'll sort that out Dr. Wallace." An intern yelled, running down the hall. Arriving in the OR, Dr. Wallace began scrubbing up as the surgeons began prepping her for emergency surgery.

"Did you find any contact details?" Dr. Wallace asked Clive.

"We found her wallet and her cell phone." He replied.

"Well call around until you find her relatives." He instructed the paramedic. "They should be here."

"What do you think her chances are?" Clive asked him.

"They're better than they were before she got here." He replied honestly. "That's as exact as I can be."

The paramedic had seen a lot of bad things in his time, and so he knew that things looked bleak for Susan. He went outside and began scrolling through the numbers on her cell phone. He found one he was sure would bear fruit, the one that everyone always had in their address book. Mom.

Mrs. Rhodes was stirred from her sleep as her cell phone began ringing. She switched on the bedside light and checked her watch, realising it was now 1AM. Picking up her cell phone, caller ID showed it was Susan. She knew Susan knew better than to call her at this time without good reason, but she was sure she'd be back by now anyway.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Is this Mrs. Rhodes?" A male voice asked. She sat up on the bed.

"Yes, who is this?" She asked. "Why do you have my daughter's phone?"

"My name is Clive; I'm a paramedic with Ocean Bluff hospital." He informed her. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Susan was found badly beaten and has been brought to the hospital."

"How is she?" Mrs. Rhodes asked as her tears began. She had always hated her daughter being a cop. She always dreaded the thought of something happening to her. Receiving a phone call like this was pretty much her worst nightmare, especially since she'd already lost her husband.

"She's being operated on as we speak." He informed her. "You should come to the hospital as soon as possible."

"Thank you." Mrs. Rhodes whispered gently, before hanging up. She quickly threw on the first set of clothes she could before making her way out into the main room, where RJ and Jarrod were still talking. She knocked on Michelle's door, waking her other daughter.

"Mom, do you know what time it is?" Michelle complained sleepily, wiping her eyes and yawning. RJ and Jarrod came over to see what the fuss was.

"It's Susan." She informed her. "She's at the hospital. Someone's attacked her; they said they're operating on her."

"Oh God!" RJ remarked. He pulled out his car keys, handing them to Jarrod. "Take them to the hospital. I'll call Casey."

Jarrod couldn't speak; he was barely able to breathe. He now understood why Susan hadn't come back to the apartment. Whatever had happened, she had to be in a bad way if the hospital were calling at this time. He just gathered his coat, before taking Michelle and her mother to the car. RJ dialled Casey's apartment.

"Sorry to wake you man." He started.

"No problem, I was awake anyway." He replied. "Camille's a little restless. Junior's giving her a hell of a night."

"Casey, I'm calling about Susan." He continued. "She's at the hospital."

"The hospital?" Casey asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but it sounded pretty bad." RJ informed him. "They said they're operating on her."

The line went dead for a second. Despite constantly messing with his sisters, RJ knew how important Casey's family was to him. He knew news like this would hit him hard.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." He finally managed to say. "Thanks RJ."

As he hung up, Lily came wandering out into the main room. She was beginning to miss RJ. After fetching her water, he had returned to the main room to talk more to Jarrod about Susan. He was well aware of the fact this had to be weighing heavily on him; this situation couldn't have come at a worse time for the Lion Master.

"What's going on?" She asked. As he looked at her, he felt the depths of everything Casey's family must be going through. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if anything happened to her or the baby. He grabbed Lily into a tender hug.

"It's Susan, she's been hurt." He informed her. "She's been hurt badly."

"How badly?" She asked.

"I don't know." He whispered. "I really don't know."

Back at the hospital, Casey arrived, running down the corridor, skidding to a halt by Michelle and his mother. Jarrod stood aside awkwardly. He wanted to be here, he needed to be here, but he didn't feel like he had any right to be here given the scene unfolding before him. Casey hugged his family, supporting them in their time of need.

"How is she?" Casey asked his mother.

"I don't know, she only got out of the OR a short time ago." She informed him. "Dr. Wallace is checking on her right now."

Almost on cue, Dr. Wallace came out of Susan's room, pulling off his gloves and disposing of them in the nearby pedal bin. He came over to them, seeing the looks of concern on their faces.

"You're daughter's tough, I'll give her that Mrs. Rhodes." He began. "She's not out of the woods yet, but she's stable at the moment."

"What happened?" Casey asked him.

"It was some kind of attack. Someone beat the hell out of her pretty badly." He informed them. "She's in a pretty bad way. She was found by some homeless guy, if he hadn't found her and called an ambulance, she could have lay there for days before someone found her. She'd probably already be dead."

"Are you saying this scumbag left her for dead?" Casey roared.

"I can't say, but that's what it looks like." Dr. Wallace informed them. "We found a laceration in her liver, and her left lung had been punctured by one of her ribs. We've managed to close the wounds and re-inflate her lung."

"So she's going to be alright?" Michelle asked him. She was well aware of how serious such injuries could be. They'd had to operate on her when she was already weakened. Any operation carried an inherent risk; it was only down to the patient's strength whether or not they made it.

"Like I said, whoever did this worked her over pretty badly. I wish those were her only problems." He replied. "Three of her ribs were broken. She was struck hard in the face by a solid object. Her right cheek bone and orbital bone were broken, it was pretty touch and go whether we'd be able to save her eye, but we managed it. She also has a severe concussion. She's slipped into a coma."

Michelle held her mother closely, and was beginning to cry herself. Being a doctor herself, she knew it was very much up in the air whether or not someone would recover from a coma. Despite several advances in medical science, much of the effects of brain and head injuries were still unknown territory. All they could say for certain was that as long as her brain functioned, she still had a chance.

"All of her fingers were broken." He informed them. "We've re-set them and put them in splints. I'd say whoever did this wasn't looking to make her death a painless one."

"Can we see her?" Mrs. Rhodes asked.

"Go right ahead. Just don't stay too long." He said, showing them in. "I'll be keeping a close eye on her. She's in the best hands."

Casey, Michelle and their mother went into the room to check on their stricken daughter. Jarrod was about to follow them, but Dr. Wallace stopped him.

"I'm sorry, but Susan's in a critical condition. We can only allow immediate family in to see her." He informed him. He put a hand on Jarrod's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. It didn't work though, it just made Jarrod angrier. He had to restrain the urge to break it and barge in there. "It's best for her if she's allowed to rest to recuperate. I'll let you know when you can see her."

Jarrod just nodded wordlessly and took a seat outside the room, holding his head in his hands as tears began to roll down his face. He was worried about her. He cared for her. He only wanted to go in and see her, to make sure she was alright but he couldn't. He was alone in his anguish. No one else knew what she had come to mean to him.


	18. A New Face

The following day, Jarrod pulled himself out of bed wearily. He hadn't slept at all, which wasn't surprising all things considered. Susan was laid up, having been beaten almost to death and there was nothing he could do for her. So far he wasn't even allowed to go and see her. Because of her condition, they were only allowing her immediate family in to see her.

It angered him to think that someone would treat her that way. She was a wonderful person. She was kind, compassionate and thoughtful. He had been attracted to her the moment he saw her. She was, by nature, a tough, assertive and strong person. Over time though, Jarrod had seen a totally different side to her.

She was genuinely devastated when she had found out that Karl had died. She had shown a deep consideration for someone who at the time had tried to kill her. She honestly loved her job, and was passionate about protecting others. Her fear and sadness at the prospect of losing that is what had drawn him to her; she had shown him a gentleness she rarely did as a result of her experiences on the force.

He remembered thinking it was funny how scared she was of Seabreeze when he took her to the farm. She had been trained to face down violent, armed criminals. To quell rioting crowds, and yet as a city-girl, she was petrified of a horse. He quickly eased her nerves and introduced her to the old horse. She had taken to Seabreeze after that. Her smile as the horse greeted her was intoxicating. He felt a significant shift in her mood as he took her on their ride. No matter how bad things got for him as a kid, he always knew that riding around the Heartland made him feel at peace, and it had worked for Susan.

He remembered looking into her eyes as he held her in his arms. It had been a mistake to get so close before he talked to Casey. He should have known he'd do something like this. Before either of them knew what was happening, they were locked in a passionate kiss. He didn't want to take advantage of her, and at that moment, he'd totally forgotten all about appropriate distance. Even Susan didn't know what to say or do in that moment.

Of course things had ended up working out. She eventually put his mind at ease as she revealed she liked him too. The rather public nature of their first real kiss had been embarrassing, especially considering the reaction of the other diners, but that didn't take away from how he had felt about it.

Resigning himself to the fact he was in no condition to teach that day, he just got into civilian clothing and made his way out of his quarters, finding Dom enjoying some breakfast.

"You look like crap." His brother greeted him in his usual diplomatic manner, before presenting the bowl to him. "Oatmeal?"

"No thanks." Jarrod replied. "Look, would you mind taking the students yourself today? I'm not feeling that good."

"Are you OK?" He asked.

Jarrod didn't know how to answer that. Part of him wanted to break down and cry, while another wanted to scream at Dom for asking such a stupid question, while another just wanted to walk away. He just looked at Dom for a second.

"I'll be fine." He finally managed to say.

"This is about Susan isn't it?" Dom asked as he put down his bowl.

Jarrod pulled away at the mention of her name. Dom had been completely on the money about what was bothering him; he was worried about Susan, though there was no way he could have known what had happened between them. They'd only realised themselves that night.

"We're all worried about her man." Dom assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know you had a little bit of a thing for her, but she's in the best of hands."

"Some scumbag beat her to within her life and left her for dead!" He snarled, balling his fists.

"Well getting worked up over it isn't going to help her now is it?" Dom asked him. "I'm sure the cops are already looking into it. You know they take it seriously when one of their own gets taken down."

Jarrod had to admit he had a point. There was usually no higher priority case than when a cop was injured or killed in the field, and emotions ran high among other officers to bring in the perpetrator one way or another.

"Look, you obviously need some time." Dom continued. "I'll take the classes today."

"Thanks bro." Jarrod replied, getting up to leave. "I'll be back later."

Dom watched him go as he picked up his bowl and carried on eating. He was as upset about what happened to Susan as the others, but Jarrod seemed to be taking it so personally. He was a little worried about him, but he knew that even now that they had accepted each other as family; Jarrod could be a little difficult to talk to. He still had a habit of keeping everything to himself.

At Ocean Bluff hospital, Casey arrived with his mother and Michelle to find an unusual sight. There were people gathered outside the hospital. A LOT of people! They were waving banners and chanting. As they got closer, they could see photographers, journalists and even a TV crew there, all being held back by security. Casey caught sight of some of the banners, and his blood boiled.

"Cops, Not Killers"

"No Mercy For Murderers"

"Justice For Karl!"

Somehow they had found out that Susan had shot Karl, and had found out about what happened to her. She was fighting for her life inside, and people were there protesting her because of that story in the paper earlier in the week.

"My son is dead because of the actions of this officer Rhodes!" Mr. Mason roared at the TV camera in an animated manner. "When the police said they'd perform an internal inquiry, we all knew it would be a white wash! I'm glad someone punished her for her crimes!"

Mrs. Rhodes tried to grab Casey, but he was already too far away. He made his way over to Mr Mason intently, his fists ready and waiting for action.

"Your son is dead because he turned a gun on a police officer!" Casey snapped.

"Who the hell is this guy?" One of the photographers asked.

"My name is Casey Rhodes, and my sister is in the hospital fighting for her life!" He snarled. "She was acting well within her capacity as a police officer."

"She shot an 18 year old kid!" The photographer reminded him. Casey looked at his press pass and realised he was working for the same newspaper that had printed the article earlier in the week.

"What's your name?" Casey asked.

"Evan Pierce." The photographer answered.

"I remember that name." He replied. "You wrote that piece on the shooting a few days ago."

"I did." Evan replied smugly. "I always seek justice when those we trust to uphold our laws cause the death of innocent..."

"Karl Mason was not innocent!" Casey interrupted him angrily. "He kidnapped an 18 year old girl! He was carrying a gun which he turned on an unarmed civilian and my sister. She acted purely in defence of human life, that's her job but then THAT version of the story doesn't sell as many newspapers does it?"

"She didn't have to kill him!" Mr Mason shouted, grabbing Casey's shirt.

"He died of medical complications!" Casey reminded him. "Your son was mentally ill, an illness YOU were responsible for!"

"You miserable..."

"Your son needed you and you were so busy feeling sorry for yourself that you neglected him in his time of need!" Casey continued to rant. "If you want to know who's responsible for killing your son, try looking in a mirror!"

Security finally separated the two, dragging Casey inside before things turned physical. Reporters gathered around Mr. Mason for his statement following the confrontation.

"Casey, this isn't doing Susan any good." Mrs. Rhodes said soothingly, trying to calm him down. "Trust me, there's nothing I'd like to do more than go out there and start slapping all of those ignorant lowlifes, but this isn't helping her."

"Your mom's right Casey." Dr. Wallace said, arriving beside them. "All you'll do is give them more to write about."

"Did you read that paper?" Casey asked him.

"Please, I wouldn't use that rag for toilet paper." He replied. Now, I wanted to talk to you all. Susan sustained a lot of damage to the right side of her skull as you know. If it's left as it is, then she'll be disfigured as a result."

"Is there anything you can do?" Mrs. Rhodes asked.

"We believe that after an assault this traumatic, that such extensive scarring would just make it harder for her to make a full recovery." He told them. "It would act as a permanent reminder of what happened, so I'm proposing we perform another surgery."

"What kind of surgery?" Michelle asked. She figured she'd be better able to understand the nature of the procedure, and be able to allay any fears the others might have.

"What we normally do in this kind of procedure is shape metal plates to the desired shape of the bone. Then we re-set the bones and screw it all into place. It'll all be done under general anaesthetic, so she won't feel a thing."

"What about scars?" Mrs. Rhodes asked.

"Between skin-grafts and careful positioning, her scarring will be almost non-existent. It'll be like nothing's changed."

"So she'll be just like she was?" Casey asked. Dr. Wallace paused for a second.

"That's where we've been a little lucky. Normally we have to make best-guesses as to the shape of the bone before the damage took place. Usually we do a good job, but it's really mostly guess work. Of course on this occasion we have a perfect reference."

He gestured to Michelle, who looked a little bemused.

"You and Susan are identical twins." He explained. "If you don't mind, we'd like to take a plaster cast of your face. From that we'll make a mould that will allow us to make better plates."

"So she'll look like she used to?" Casey asked.

"If all goes well, it'll be like this never happened." Dr. Wallace assured them.

"I'll do it." Michelle stated without another thought, handing her purse to her mom. "I'd do anything for Susan."

"Come this way." He instructed her. "We'll begin right away."

Dom arrived at JKP during the evening rush. He knew that Gabby had a shift there tonight, she was finally returning to duty after her kidnapping, and seemed to be enjoying herself. He sat down in a booth near the juke box.

"What can I get you?" Gabby asked with a smile as she leaned across the table with a smile.

"I'd like a kiss from the most beautiful girl in the world," he began cheekily, "and a slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza."

"Cheesy." She replied, leaning across further and kissing him softly. "But I like that. One slice of Pepperoni and Sausage coming right up."

He sat in the booth waiting for her to return with his pizza, Lily sat down opposite him.

"I guess RJ's still not letting you work." He surmised, seeing Lily in casual clothing.

"No, he's still keeping me wrapped in cotton wool." She sighed. "The only good thing is that I have more time for my online courses. I should be able to graduate a lot earlier than I expected to."

"Seriously?" He asked.

"I should have my diploma before the baby arrives." She replied. "I know he's only trying to help, but I'm going crazy up there. If it wasn't for my online diploma, I'd be in a psych ward by now."

"It can't be that bad surely." He continued.

"Dominic, it's that bad I've already watched every DVD in his collection three times." She informed him. Dominic whistled, RJ wasn't joking when he said he had the largest collection of cartoon DVD's on the planet.

"Well you should be happy he's looking out for you." Dominic responded as Gabby arrived with his pizza. Dom grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap, causing her to yelp and start giggling. "Besides, I'm not complaining. Gabby loves working here."

"I really do." She told her. "Uh...Dom...You have to let me go, I have customers to serve."

He let her go, whimpering like a dog as she left. She just ignored the display and walked away to her next table.

"I'm really glad things are working out for you two." Lily said, smiling. "She seems really happy."

"I intend to keep her that way." He stated. "Master Phant gave me the money he won from that bet. I'm planning on taking her away for the weekend sometime soon."

"Well she'll enjoy that." She whispered. "I still can't believe RJ and I lost fifty bucks on that."

"You too?" Dom chuckled. "When did you think I'd tell him?"

"I thought you'd still not have told him." She answered honestly. RJ came in from the kitchen and sat down beside her.

"I heard from Casey earlier." He informed Dom.

"How's Susan?" He asked.

"She went in for another surgery." He replied. "She'll be recovering overnight."

"She'll be OK though won't she?" Lily asked him.

"They're still only saying that she's stable at this time." RJ sighed. "At least she's responding well to treatment."

"Well that's one thing at least." He replied. "Jarrod was kind of upset earlier."

RJ looked a little worried at this statement. Jarrod had told him what had happened between him and Susan. He knew he had to be going out of his mind with worry. The cruellest part about it was that no one knew how he felt about her, or what had happened between them. While it wasn't ideal, at least Casey and his family had each other.

"RJ, what's wrong?" Lily asked.

"Look, I shouldn't say anything, Jarrod told me in confidence." He warned them before pulling closer. "He and Susan kissed the night she was attacked."

"I had a feeling about those two." Dom commented.

"It's more than that." He continued. "They told each other how they felt about each other. She was meant to meet him here, but she never showed up."

"God, no wonder he's upset." Lily gasped. "He must be going through hell."

"I need to find him." Dom stated. "He shouldn't be alone at a time like this. Tell Gabby I'll see her later."

With that, he left in search of his brother. He wanted to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Lieutenant Matthews was standing, smoking in a dark back alley when another cop arrived. He wasn't a local cop; it was one of his comrades from San Francisco.

"What was so important I had to take a sick day?" He asked. Matthews handed him a tabloid newspaper. He read the headline.

"San Francisco Cop Close To Death"

"You know the only thing wrong with that headline?" Matthews asked. "It's too long. It should say San Francisco Cop Dead!"

"You were there too." The other cop replied with a shrug. "From what it says here, she's hanging by a thread anyway."

"I don't like threads." Matthews told him, handing him a syringe. "Cut the thread."

The other cop nodded and left. Matthews threw down his cigarette and crushed it out with his shoe. He didn't like it when things got in the way of his plans. Of course, things had taken an interesting turn. Obviously someone at the hospital, most likely some minimum-wage worker, had leaked the fact that Susan Rhodes had been beaten to the hospital. In turn he'd leaked the details of the inquiry to the press to create the circus outside the hospital. If anything happened to her, he was sure everyone would think that it was Mr Mason who beat her. Everything was working well.

Jarrod had been wandering around all day trying to clear his thoughts, but had only come up with one. Regardless of the wishes of the hospital staff, he had to see her. He had called Casey, and had heard about the surgery. He knew that at night the hospital staff would be minimal, and he would be more likely to be able to slip inside.

Climbing a tree, he crouched on a branch assessing his next move. He looked around, finding a narrow ledge outside the second floor. He summoned up all the strength he could, launching himself onto it. He pressed himself against the concrete and began edging along it in search of her room.

The cop made his way through the hospital, having exchanged his badge for an Ocean Bluff one. Given the fact that word was out about her condition, the local PD had insisted on posting a guard outside her door. He approached, showing the guard his badge.

"I'm here to cover your break." He informed the guard.

"I can't remember seeing you before." The guard commented.

"I just transferred." He replied. "Go and get some coffee."

"Thanks, I've been dying for some caffeine." The guard responded. "See you in an hour."

The cop smiled as he saw him go. Now was his chance. He made his way inside the room, approaching her bedside.

The right side of her face was now completely covered in dressings, covering her eye. Machines tracked all her vitals, and a multitude of tubes dealt with her medication and all her other vital functions. He made his way over to her.

"You know injuries like this are so unpredictable." He remarked, pulling out the syringe, and drawing back the plunger, filling it with air. "It's so easy for an air bubble to get into the bloodstream and boom, another police funeral on the TV."

He pushed the needle into one of the tubes, preparing to push the plunger. He gently stroked her cheek with his fingers.

"It's a shame really, you were kind of cute."

With a loud crash, a dark shape smashed through the window, coming into the room. The cop threw himself aside and shielded himself from flying glass. He looked up in horror to see the Black Lion Warrior standing before him.

"I don't think you're a doctor." He roared, grabbing the cop's wrist and twisting it, breaking his arm and forcing him to drop the needle. He then proceeded to launch him through the door into the hall face-first through the window. The cop pulled himself to his feet and pulled out his gun, but it was swatted from his hand dismissively by the enraged Jarrod. He grabbed him, ramming him into the wall face-first with tremendous force, cracking the plaster. The corrupt cop slumped to the floor unconscious. Having heard the commotion, the guard had returned. He fired a couple of rounds which ricocheted off Jarrod's armour. The third, he caught out of the air.

"You're shooting at the wrong target!" He snarled. "In there you'll find a syringe with his fingerprints on it. He was trying to kill her."

"I don't believe you!" The cop yelled.

"I could come down that hall, take that gun off you and slap the piss out of you before you got the chance to squeeze off another shot." He informed the terrified cop. From the way he was shaking, Jarrod could tell he knew he was telling the truth. "Go and check the room."

The other cop went inside, finding to his surprise that Jarrod was right. Going outside, he found that Jarrod had left. He handcuffed him and removed his equipment belt before searching his pockets. It was then that he found the San Francisco badge.

"Why does he have two badges?" He asked himself. "Why was he trying to kill Sergeant Rhodes?"


	19. Rocky Rhodes

The following morning, Casey gave his mom and Michelle a ride to the hospital. The protesters were there, but now there was a much higher presence of security and police. He pulled into a parking spot, before getting out. A police officer immediately confronted them.

"What the hell's going on here?" Casey demanded.

"There's been a major security breach." He informed him. "I'll need to see photographic ID."

Casey, Michelle and his mom all handed over their driver's licenses, still totally confused. He saw the names on the licences and immediately checked his list.

"You're related to Susan Rhodes?" He gasped.

"We're her family." Casey replied. "What's this about?"

"Come with me." He demanded, gesturing for them to follow him. He led them through the halls of the hospital, where there seemed to be just about the entirety of Ocean Bluff's police department, and several guys in paper suits dusting, looking through magnifying glasses and generally going over the place with a fine toothed comb. He led them to a side room, knocking the door politely. A man was in there, rifling through papers on the desk and shouting down a phone. Casey didn't know exactly who he was, but since his sister had been in the academy before he finished high school, he had been around enough cops to know by his uniform that he was a high-ranking officer.

"What is it?" He snarled, hanging up the phone. "I've got so many reporters crawling up my..."

"This is Susan Rhode's family." The young cop interrupted his rant. "They just arrived."

The older officer gestured for them to come in before dismissing the young officer. He turned back to them.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked. "Coffee?"

"We're fine thanks." Casey answered. "What's going on?"

He let out a deep sigh before answering. "I'm Commissioner Stockman of the Ocean Bluff Police Department." He began. They all knew enough because of Susan to know that the Commissioner rarely came into the field for nothing. "I won't lie to you. Last night someone made an attempt on Susan's life."

"Someone tried to kill her?" Mrs. Rhodes shrieked. Michelle held her tightly, both of them beginning to cry.

"I'm afraid so." Stockman replied. "He's currently in custody."

"Well at least you didn't screw that up." Casey sneered.

"We're posting extra security around her as a precaution." He continued. He could understand Casey's scepticism. It wasn't as if they had covered themselves in glory recently. "She'll be safe."

"What happened?" Casey demanded. "You had a guard outside her door. What happened?"

He knew that they would be too aware of procedure to be fooled by a whitewash.

"What I'm about to tell you can't leave this room." He warned them. "The man who tried to kill her was a police officer."

They were all stunned into silence. What could they say to that? Susan was a good person, and a good cop. How could anyone treat her that way?

"He was stopped from injecting an air bubble into her bloodstream." He informed them sadly. "At this time we think this may be linked to the attack on her earlier."

"You think cops might have done this to her?" Michelle shrieked. "She almost died! She still..." Her words tailed off as she thought about it. Susan always talked so fondly about her experiences at the precinct and the academy. Sure she told them there were assholes, but there was in any profession, she knew that she had met more than a few at the hospital, but on the whole she loved and trusted her colleagues.

"You said he tried." Casey said as calmly as he could. "Who stopped it?"

"Well that's embarrassing." He admitted. "Our guard was relieved for his break by another officer. It turned out he was carrying a false badge. He left to go on break. He would have succeeded except this happened."

He pointed to a monitor and pressed play, rolling the security footage. Casey was left totally dumbfounded as he saw the Black Lion Warrior coming through the window and beginning to beat the corrupt cop senseless.

"He was saved by one of the Power Rangers." He admitted. "We're ensuring this will not happen again. Security is being handled exclusively by OBPD, and all the officers are vetted extremely closely."

"Thank you." Mrs. Rhodes said gently. "Can we see her now?"

"Of course you can." He answered, gesturing to the door. He led them to Susan's room, but throughout the entire journey, Mrs. Rhodes could tell that something was seriously wrong with her son. He was upset and understandably angry, but it was as if he knew a lot more than he was telling them. Arriving in Susan's room, Mrs. Rhodes slammed the door shut after politely dismissing Commissioner Stockman and rounded on Casey.

"OK Casey, spill it!" She snarled, glaring at him the same way that still made him quake with fear despite no longer being the five year old stealing biscuits from the larder.

"Mom?" He asked.

"You know a lot more than you're saying and I know it!" She snapped. "Tell me right now!"

"Mom, I don't know what you're talking about." He said as casually as he could through his confusion. He still had no idea what Jarrod was even doing in the town, let alone near enough to the hospital to see what was happening with Susan and stop the attempt on her life.

"Don't you dare lie to me young man!" She warned him. "If you know who did this..."

"I don't know who tried to kill Susan, I swear." He relented, realising his mother could see right through him. He knew he couldn't lie any longer. He pulled the plug out of the surveillance camera before explaining. "I know who saved her."

"One of the Power Rangers." Michelle commented. "We know that too."

"No Chelle, I mean I KNOW who saved her." He reiterated. "Mom, I didn't go to boarding school, and I didn't enter an advanced learning programme. I was studying online."

"What does...?" He held up a hand to stop his sister's question.

"I was at a Kung Fu temple named Pai Zhuq." He informed her. "My master was killed, and I came here to study under RJ, my new Master."

He pulled up his sleeve, revealing his master's stripes.

"I earned my stripes in battle, now I'm known as a Tiger Master."

"What does all this have to do with the Power Rangers?" Michelle asked. Casey pulled out his Solar Morpher and activated it.

"Jungle Beast. Spirit Unleashed!" He roared, morphing into his Ranger form. Michelle and his mother almost collapsed as they witnessed this.

"Mom, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it was important I didn't." He rushed out. "I've been a Power Ranger since a week after I arrived in Ocean Bluff."

Mrs. Rhodes smiled at him.

"Your dad always did say your stance was too wide." She sniggered. "Your technique improved over that year. RJ taught you well."

"You knew about this?" Michelle and Casey chorused together.

"I had my suspicions." She replied. "Now, who saved your sister?"

"A friend of mine." He replied, de-morphing. "And I plan to find out why."

Meanwhile, Jarrod made his way through the streets of San Francisco, looking for the Police Department. He had memorized the names on the badges the corrupt cop who tried to kill Susan had been carrying and planned on getting some answers. Arriving at the building, he went inside.

"Hello, I'm a friend of Officer Davies." He began. "I was wondering if I could speak to him."

"He's sick." The desk clerk said with a shrug. "He called in sick yesterday."

"Look, I have some really important news for him." Jarrod pressed on. "His uncle just died. I was here to tell him."

The desk clerk looked around to make sure he couldn't be heard and leant in closer.

"He went to Ocean Bluff." He whispered. "I don't know why, he never showed up this morning."

"I'll find him." Jarrod replied. "Thanks for your time."

As he made to leave, he stopped by the door, seeing a portrait of the Commissioner. Noting his name, he resolved to find out what was happening later when things were dark. Lions might be daylight hunters, but Jarrod knew that pursuing things out with the cover of darkness was a fool's endeavour.

Casey had dropped his mom and his sister off at JKP, before heading back to the gym for his class. They sat down in a booth where Lily was going through some figures.

"I take it RJ's still coddling the two of you." Michelle greeted her with a smile. Lily nodded.

"Still, doing the books has the dual benefit of making sure they're kept in order and I have more experience to go with my diploma." Lily said with a weak smile. "As an accountant, RJ's a great chef."

"I notice you wear a lot of yellow." Mrs. Rhodes commented. "By any chance do you like cheetahs?"

Lily looked at her worried for a second.

"We know about Casey, he told us." Michelle informed her. "I take it you're the Yellow Ranger."

"I am." She replied. "I guess then you've figured out who we all are."

"Kind of." Mrs. Rhodes replied. "We can't decide between Dominic and RJ who's the wolf and who the rhino Ranger is."

"RJ's the Wolf Ranger." Lily informed them. "That's how we met."

"I still can't believe my little brother's a Power Ranger." Michelle commented, shaking her hair.

"Oh come on, all my family have been heroes." Mrs. Rhodes commented. "My husband was the icon of the fire department. My daughters ended up in medicine and the police force, I suppose it wasn't long before one of my kids ended up being a superhero."

"Casey's been great." Lily informed her. "We couldn't have done it without him."

"I followed all the stories in the papers." Mrs. Rhodes informed her.

"How's Casey doing?" Lily asked.

"He's a little pissed." Michelle commented. "He only told us because one of the Power Rangers saved Susan."

"Susan was in danger?" Lily gasped in disbelief. "She was being guarded!"

"It's a long story." Michelle continued. "Someone tried to kill her."

"Is she alright?" Lily asked nervously, realising how subjective a question it was under the circumstances.

"She was saved by one of your friends." Mrs. Rhodes piped in.

"Which one?" Lily asked.

"The one in black armour." Michelle replied. "He stopped the attack."

Casey arrived in the room at this point, his face a barely-natural shade of red. He slammed a newspaper onto the table.

"I thought you were teaching a class." Lily stated.

"So did I." Casey snapped, pounding a finger down on the paper. "Only a dozen of my kids turned up. I sent them all home!"

Mrs. Rhodes read the headline.

"You Killed Your Son! Local Gym Owner Blasts Grieving Father!"

"That son of a bitch twisted every bloody word I said and made me sound like an asshole!" Casey yelled. "This is just brilliant! In addition to everything else, they're going to ruin my business!"

"Casey, calm down." Lily beckoned him, taking his hand softly and looking into his eyes. Right now the Tiger Master had a lot of reasons to be pissed off, not least because he didn't understand Jarrod's involvement in the whole affair. "This can be sorted."

"How?" He roared, causing everyone in the restaurant to look round. Some of the tables started to slowly leave at the display. "How can this be sorted? My sister's on death's door, my business is in ruin, my friends..."

"Are right here." Lily interrupted him. "We'll help you, we'll..."

"You'll lie to me like you did about a certain Lion." He snapped. Lily looked to her shoes, hoping for an answer.

"We thought that there might be an attraction..."

"I don't care. My sister is almost dead and he's out there doing nothing!" He said in a slow, considered tone, his voice rasping and his eyes beginning to water.

"That's enough Casey!" Mrs. Rhodes wailed, being overcome by her tears. "He saved her life! Casey, we owe him more than we can ever repay!"

"Casey, Jarrod went there to see her." Lily told him. "He went there because something happened between them."

Lily paused for a second, looking into her friend's eyes sincerely.

"The way he's acting, I'd say it's more than a crush."

"I...I had no idea." He stammered. "I knew they were getting along but..."

"Casey, it's more than that." Lily pressed on quietly, squeezing his hand for support. "We all saw there was a spark between them. Susan was meant to meet him on the night she was attacked."

His jaw clenched in anger. He had a lot of questions, and more than a few things to say to Jarrod. Not least of which was to find out what in the hell he was thinking about hooking up with his sister.

"Casey, if you want to do something constructive, you should be trying to find Jarrod." She told him. "The way things are going, I'm really worried he'll do something he'll regret."

Meanwhile in San Francisco, Commissioner Jameson went into the parking lot, bleeping the key fob of his car. He made his way wearily towards the vehicle. He became aware of a set of footsteps behind him. Unclipping the strap on his holster, he turned around, finding no one behind him. A hand clamped around his throat, tightly enough for him to feel, though not enough to cause any pain. He saw a black, armoured hand plucking his gun from his holster.

"One of your men tried to kill someone very dear to me." Jarrod rasped in his deepest voice, throwing the gun away. "I want to know why."

"If you're talking about Sergeant Davies, then I don't know." He sighed, resigning himself to his predicament.

"Don't lie to me old man!" Jarrod snarled. Jameson just pushed his hand off his throat and stepped away, turning around slowly with his hands where they could be seen.

"I knew he was dirty, he's under investigation." He replied. "As for why he tried to kill Susan, I couldn't tell you."

"Do I look like I care?" Jarrod shouted, launching a trashcan several feet across the road. "He tried to kill her. I'm sure you know who I am."

"Look, if you're going to beat me up just do it." He replied wearily. "If you want to kill me, just do it quickly."

"You...why are...Why are you so submissive?" Jarrod asked.

"I know there's some kind of operation in my department." Jameson answered. "There's a major shipment of coke that makes its way from LA to SF every week. Once we intercepted a load that was well over three tons."

"So you set up a sting?" Jarrod asked.

"I know that there are dirty cops on my patch." He replied. "I also know that there is some kind of deal with several of the coastal towns so the shipments avoid the highways. Reefside, Ocean Bluff, Blue Bay Harbour! There're players across half the state."

"Why was Susan Rhodes involved?" Jarrod asked.

"All the cops we suspect had been under disciplinary review within the month prior to their suspected involvement." He replied. "Whoever the recruiter is, he must offer them something that keeps them on the force. He needs cops to make this work. When OBPD searched the warehouse Susan was found in, they found a tape recorder with her prints on it. We think she was invited to join them and tried to bring them in. I've known Susan a long time, I know she'd never be a part of something like that, but trying to bring it down single-handed? That would be just like her."

"How do you know all of them are cops?" Jarrod asked him. Jameson straightened himself out as much as he could.

"Drugs offence arrests are up almost 50 percent." He responded. "I'd like to think its people doing their jobs, but it's more likely the firm eliminating competition. We've been certain there are cops involved since we intercepted that shipment, we just don't know who the ring leader is. We can't prove anything."

Jarrod stood silently for a second. Commissioner Jamieson just sighed.

"If you know all this why aren't you doing more to stop it?" He asked. Stockman just looked at him.

"You don't think you're the first person to threaten me regarding this do you?" He asked. "You saw what they did to Susan. I have a wife and three kids."

He sat on the hood of his car, taking a deep breath.

"I was only a captain when Susan Rhodes came to my department as a probationer." He informed Jarrod. "I helped her when she was just starting and showed her the ropes. She's one of the best cops I've ever worked with. She's a good friend; I promise you I'll do everything I can to bring this lowlife to justice."

"I'll be in touch." Jarrod assured him, leaping away in a black streak, disappearing from view. Jamieson didn't know how to take the encounter. Jarrod had said all the right things, but he attacked him in a parking lot. He just shook his head and put his key in the lock of his car. Soon he'd be back in the arms of his family, the only ones he could depend on. He had put his faith in idealists before and been disappointed. He had no faith in things getting any better. The rotten element in his department had eluded him for so long there were days he thought he'd never succeed.


	20. The Lion Draws Closer

Lieutenant Matthews made his way onto the dock, finding a group of workers unloading crates. They didn't even flinch at his presence. Although they were unloading goods that would put all of them in prison for long terms, he had been there enough times that they all knew he was not an officer to worry about. If anything, he was the boss.

"Where's Razor?" He asked one of the workers. He jerked his head in the direction of a ship. 'Razor' was standing on a cargo crate being lowered off the ship by a crane. He jumped off casually.

Enrique Coulan was well-known to the authorities, but no charges had ever been laid against him in the states. He had been all but run out of his native country by rival dealers, but had found the American market far more lucrative anyway, especially since he'd hooked up with Matthews. He was wearing a pair of white jeans and a purple silk shirt. His tanned skin was leathery and taught from years in harsh sunshine. He pulled off a pair of sunglasses that cost more than most people's monthly earnings, revealing a vicious scar running from the hair line of his jet black hair to his chin. A souvenir from his days as a street dealer back home, it was the most distinctive thing about him. Half an inch to the left and he would be missing his right eye in addition to that scar.

He had a volatile, even psychotic temper that made most run in fear at the mere sight of him, lest they cross him. He had earned the nickname 'razor' as a result of his habit of carrying a straight razor everywhere he went. More than one victim who crossed him had ended up with a Glasgow Smile at his hands.

"The shipment as promised." Razor greeted Matthews, jumping down from the crate. "Is there anything I need to be worried about?"

Despite what others thought, Razor was not the boss, Matthews was. Without him, Razor would just be another two-bit punk selling the occasional bag of white on a street corner. Without the weight of Matthews' badge behind the operation, he wouldn't be able to get a fraction of his gear into the port.

"Nothing I can't handle." He replied. "I tried to recruit another into the family, but she refused. She's taking a dirt nap."

"Is that so?" He asked. "Did you slit her throat yourself?"

"No, I sent Davies." Matthews replied. "He'll have her by now."

"Well forgive me if I'm a little nervous when you sent a lackey to take care of such a problem." Razor stated in a chuckle.

"It'll be fine Razor." He responded without a thought. Right then, his partner arrived.

"I got a call over the radio." He informed him. "Davies has been picked up."

"What for?" Matthews asked nervously.

"Attempted murder." His partner told him. "One of the Power Rangers caught him trying to take out that Sergeant you tried to kill. Apparently he's spent the night in a cell counting how many teeth he still has."

"I thought you had this under control." Razor said coldly. "If this gets back to me..."

"I have as much to lose as you Razor." Matthews reminded him. "I'm not about to let a 10 million dollar a year business go down the crapper. I'll deal with it."

"See that you do." The dealer warned him, pulling out his straight razor and flicking it open. "Otherwise you'll find you have a lot to smile about."

Matthews mopped his brow with a handkerchief. Although he ran the operation, he knew that Razor was unbalanced enough to carry out his threat. It wasn't like he had a whole lot to lose. If their operation was exposed then he was going down for good anyway, it wasn't as if killing him was going to make a difference.

"I said I'll deal with it." He assured him. "No one is going to talk."

At that moment back in the OBPD building, a desk sergeant was yawning loudly with boredom when the door opened. He couldn't believe his eyes as he saw a Power Ranger, the Black Lion Warrior, walking in. He approached the desk as the sergeant pulled out his pistol.

"I understand Officer Davies is here." He snarled. "I want to speak with him."

"No one goes in." The sergeant stammered nervously, levelling the gun at him. Jarrod just snorted dismissively and stepped forward. The cop fired, only to find the bullet rebounding uselessly off his armour.

"You can't stop me." Jarrod stated. "Now, open the doors or I will."

The sergeant just put his gun away, nodding and did as he was told. He led Jarrod to the corrupt officer's cell.

"I said I'm not talking till I get my lawyer." Davies said, not even looking at the door. "I just..."

Jarrod grabbed him and launched him against the wall, stunning him. Davies looked at him in terror.

"You know who was responsible for what happened to the woman you tried to kill." Jarrod growled, hauling him off the floor. Davies began to wet himself as his feet dangled above the ground. Jarrod looked at him intently. "They can't protect you from me. Now, I want to know who did this."

"I'm a dead man if I talk." Davies shrieked, struggling to get free. "It's worth more than my life..."

"I'll kill you if you don't tell me!" Jarrod interrupted him. "The difference is I'll make sure you suffer more."

"You can't do this!" He wailed as his tears streamed down his face. "You can't!"

"Trust me; you haven't seen the extent of what I can do." Jarrod hissed. "Now, who attacked that cop?"

He shook Davies roughly.

"I know about the coke, now spill!" He snapped.

"I was one of them." He admitted. "We were checking out if she was willing to join us. We found a tape recorder on her and knew she was going to rat us out. What happened to her was a result of that."

"Who else was involved?" Jarrod asked.

"There was a cop from Reefside, another from San Fran and the boss there." He informed Jarrod. Losing patience, he slammed Davies through his bed.

"I didn't ask where they were from." Jarrod reminded him. "I want to know their names!"

"Officer Murdoch from Reefside Police Department." He began. "Sergeant Orwell from SFPD, and the boss."

Jarrod powered up an energy attack menacingly, snarling.

"Who is the boss?"

"Lieutenant Matthews from Ocean Bluff Police Department." He yelled. "Please don't kill me?"

"I should. For what you did to Sergeant Rhodes you deserve to die." He remarked as he turned to leave. "But something tells me that going to prison will be justice enough. We both know how well liked cops are inside."

Back at the hospital, Matthews approached the door confidently, only to be stopped by a young officer.

"I'm sorry, I need to see ID." He informed the corrupt officer.

"You do see this badge right?" Matthews joked.

"Sorry, I still need ID." He replied. "No unauthorised access, orders direct from the commissioner."

Obviously the local department was taking security to a new level since the attempt on her life. So far all he knew was that she hadn't talked yet. If he had his way that was the way it was going to stay.

"Call the commissioner and tell him Lieutenant Matthews is here." He told the officer at the door. "I have a feeling that he'll let me in."

The guard at the door kept an eye on him as he relayed the information to the commissioner. He eventually nodded and gestured Matthews inside.

He looked around at the swarm of security guards and cops. Davies had screwed up badly letting her live and being caught like that. Now it would be incredibly difficult to sort this problem and get out without drawing attention to himself. As he arrived in the room, he found Casey, Michelle and Mrs. Rhodes gathered around her bed.

"I take it you're her family." He surmised. "I just wanted to give you my sympathies."

"Thank you." Mrs. Rhodes stated. "I just can't believe that a cop would hurt her like this. She was always so liked and respected in the force."

"Occupational hazard I'm afraid." He commented. "In this business you pick up a lot of enemies. Many of whom you don't even know about."

"Well I hope they catch the bastard that did this to her." Michelle stated. "She didn't deserve this."

"Trust me; we'll do everything we can." Matthews said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "We're doing everything we can to find this lowlife. Trust me sweetheart."

Susan's left eye jerked open and her heart rate accelerated, setting off an alarm. She had heard what had been said, and it had brought all the thoughts and memories racing through her mind. She could remember having her fingers broken one by one. She could remember the four cops kicking her and pounding on her with their night sticks viciously. She could remember right up until the final blow to her head, the one that had almost killed her. She could remember a warm breath on her neck, and a sneering voice.

"_Trust me sweetheart, by the time we're finished, you'll be lucky if you remember your OWN name."_

_Sweetheart_

_Sweetheart_

_Sweetheart!_

She sat bolt upright in her bed, pointing at Matthews.

"Susan! You're awake..."

"It was him!" She screeched, gesturing to Matthews. "He did this to me, it was him!"

Casey snapped to his feet, sending his chair flying.

"She must be confused." Matthews commented.

"Then you won't mind answering some questions to clear yourself." Casey growled. Matthews looked around, realising that he was in a building full of cops and he had nowhere to go. He pulled out his pistol and levelled it at Casey.

"Your sister didn't know what was good for her!" He sneered. "We could have made her rich. Instead she decided to try and bring down a perfectly good business."

Casey knew he could take Matthews, but he couldn't risk doing anything. Not with Michelle, Susan and his mom in the room.

"You won't get out of here alive." Casey reminded him. "The place is full of cops. You fire that gun and everyone will know. You'll be cut in half before you get to the door."

Matthews hated to admit it, but Casey was right. He wouldn't make it more than a few feet if he tried to take them out and run. He gestured to the window.

"Make me another way out." He snapped. "Break it."

"It's security glass." Casey stated.

"You're a big kid." Matthews replied. "I'm sure you'll manage."

Realising this was the best way of getting Matthews out of the room without bloodshed, Casey picked up his chair, slamming it through the window. Matthews kept them covered as he made his way to the window. A couple of cops came from the hall, seeing the events unfolding.

"You're all idiots. You risk your lives every day for a pathetic wage and a meagre pension." He ranted. "You might be one of the lucky few who make it to retirement, only to get by on a pension and be given a cheap gold watch. Other than that, you'll probably be killed or pensioned off through injury long before then. Think about that when I retire to a beachfront property in Bora Bora."

He leapt out of the window, landing on top of an ambulance, before jumping off, finding his way to his car and racing away. Several officers gave chase. Casey looked to his mother.

"Your sister needs you." Mrs. Rhodes stated, cradling Susan's head to her chest in a warm hug. Casey couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her cry, she was always the strong one in the family, but right now she was hysterical. He relented and came over, joining the show of family unity. His mom was right; right now his sister needed him.

Matthews arrived at the docks quickly. Given the sound of sirens, Razor knew that things had not gone well. Matthews ran up the gang plank onto his ship.

"You would do well not to disappoint me Matthews." He said in a casual drawl, pulling out his razor. "Now we all lose..."

His words were cut off by a gunshot as Matthews put a bullet in his stomach. Stepping over him, he finished off his former partner with a bullet to the head.

"Get this ship out of here!" He roared. "We only have to make it out 20 miles before we're out of US jurisdiction."

"But not mine!" Jarrod roared, revealing himself. The entire crew gasped as the saw the Black Lion Warrior perched atop the control deck. "Your ass is mine Matthews!"

Almost the entire crew immediately leapt overboard and fled. Despite being foreign, they had seen enough of the news to know who the man in black was and what he was capable of. Matthews picked up a SPAS 12 gauge shotgun and fired a shot as Jarrod pounced, sending him tumbling to the deck.

"I'm not spending a second in jail." He sneered. "You aren't sending me away."

"I had no intention of sending you to prison." Jarrod snapped, pulling himself to his feet. "You tried to kill her. I won't do such a half-assed job!"

"NO!" Dominic roared, arriving on the scene in his Ranger Mode, throwing himself between Jarrod and Matthews. "He's a scumbag, he deserves to be punished, but this isn't the way to do it!"

"Get out of my way." Jarrod breathed, advancing slowly. "He's mine!"

"I can't let you do this." Dom stated, bringing the Rhino Blade forth. "If I have to I'll stop you."

"This piece of crap nearly killed her!" Jarrod reminded him.

"Do you really think this is the way Susan would want to see it end?" Dominic asked him. At that point a shot rang out. His costume and his power saved him, but the shot to the back took a lot out of Dom, leaving him sprawled on the floor. Jarrod looked to Matthews who was holding the still smoking gun.

"I really need to be going." He stated.

"The only place you're going is straight to hell!" Jarrod replied, surging forward and snatching the gun from him. He threw it overboard before grabbing Matthews in a choke hold, squeezing the life from him.

"You can't do this." He heard a voice behind him. He knew that it was Casey. He circled to where Jarrod could see him, showing him he was in his Ranger From.

"You want him?" Jarrod asked. "Sorry, but that's my scalp."

"You can't do it because you're not evil." Casey reminded him. "I know you feel bad about all the things you did when you were under Dai Shi's control, but you had no control over them. If you kill him then it's cold blooded murder."

"After what he did he deserves it!" Jarrod said as he squeezed tighter. Matthews' eyes rolled in his head as his strength left him.

"No man has the right to make that choice." Casey stated. "I wanted to kill you for what Dai Shi did to Camille, but I couldn't do it because it was wrong. If you do this, then I'll have to take you down."

"I'm doing it for Susan!" Jarrod protested.

"She wouldn't want it to end this way." Casey reminded him. "If you do this, then you'll only prove I was right."

By now Matthews had lost consciousness. Jarrod launched him aside, glaring at Casey intently.

"I admit I was pissed when I heard about you and Susan, but that's her decision to make!" He yelled. "If you kill him, you'll prove I was right. You aren't good enough for her."

"I won't kill him." Jarrod stated as the sirens announced the arrival of the police. "And I am good enough for her."

"Time will tell on that score." Casey warned him. "Susan means a lot to me. If you hurt her, then you and I will talk about this again, and it won't be so civilised."

Jarrod and Casey then leapt off the ship, over the police cruisers and into the night. It had been a long time coming, but at last justice had been done.

Later that night, Susan sat in her bed, staring into a mirror. Tears ran down her face as she beheld the extent of what had been done to her. She lifted her heavily-bandaged right hand to the dressing covering almost the entirety of the right side of her face. She heard a knock on the door and turned, seeing Jarrod standing there holding a large bouquet. She snapped away from him, covering her face.

"Casey signed me in." He informed her. "I had to see you."

"Go away." She breathed. "Please, just go away."

"You can't be sick of me already can you?" He asked, laying down the flowers. He crossed the room, trying to look her in the face, but she turned away again.

"Please, just go." She pleaded.

"Susan, I came because I care about you." He told her. "You do remember what happened don't you?"

She turned to face him, tears running down her face, and her lips quivering.

"Jarrod, I'm hideous!" She whimpered. "I know you didn't fall for me like this. Please, just save us both a lot of heart ache and just go."

"Susan, you can't possibly ask me to do that." He protested, his own eyes beginning to tear up. "I can't leave now."

"Jarrod, you can't possibly want me like this." She murmured, looking back to the mirror. He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her towards him. As she continued to weep, he pulled her closely, gently kissing the dressing on her face.

"I didn't fall in love with you because your face was beautiful." He told her. "I fell in love with you because YOU are beautiful."

"You...you love me?" She asked him.

"Susan Rhodes, I don't just love you." He continued. "I am IN love with you. You are simply the most amazing person I've ever met."

"Jarrod I..." She considered her position for a second. "I love you too."

He gently sat her on the bed and looked into her one uncovered eye.

"Susan, I'm going to tell you something about myself. It isn't going to be easy to hear and it might not make a lot of sense, but if we're going to make a go of this, then you'll need to know."

Susan reached a hand up to his face, pulling him in for a long, loving kiss. It had taken a difficult journey, but they were able to get there eventually.

"Tell me." She beckoned him. "I know the real you. Nothing you can tell me will make a difference."

"I hope so." Jarrod sighed as he prepared to begin.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Casey smiled. He still wasn't thrilled about the thought of Jarrod and Susan together, but he made her happy, and right now she needed all the happiness she could get. It would be a long road for her to make a full recovery, and if Jarrod could help, then he was fine with that. He made his way home to his wife, thinking about it all. It wasn't so long ago that Jarrod was the bully picking on kids at Pai Zhuq, and now he was dating his sister. Things had taken strange turns before, but this was something he could never have foreseen.


	21. Advent

The next couple of days went by rather slowly for Susan. A couple of officers had been to take her statement about the attack. She couldn't tell them much, other than the fact that Matthews had been there. They had already gotten Davies to crack and confess to his part in the attack and name his accomplices, and so all four of them had been taken into custody. It would likely be after New Year before they were brought to court.

Dr. Wallace came into Susan's examination room, finding her sitting up, waiting on him. She was impatient to get out of the hospital. Despite the pleas the doctors and surgeons that had worked on her, she was quickly finding sitting around in bed all day wearing. Dr. Wallace insisted that he would allow her to sign herself out as long as he got a chance to check her over first.

"OK, the results of your X-rays are back." He informed her. "Your fingers have knitted really well. I'd like you to keep them in dressings for about another week or so, but you should have use of your hands back in time for Christmas."

"Well that's one thing at least." She moaned. She was always such an independent person, she hated being so dependent on others. As a result of being unable to use her fingers, she'd needed to get someone to help her do almost everything. Wash, get dressed, eat, there was so much she couldn't do for herself just yet. It was a little embarrassing to be so dependent. She had decided to remain in Ocean Bluff while she recovered instead of returning to San Francisco. In truth, she just didn't want to have to move back in with her mom until her hands healed. Lily and RJ had assured her that she could stay with them, and Flit was an excellent healer. "I'd hate to miss out on the turkey."

"Now, I'm just going to check on your eye." He informed her. "The bone should be knitting by now, and the plates went in without a hitch, but I want to check on the incisions."

Susan just nodded nervously. She hadn't yet seen the extent of the damage, and she was worried about the possible extent of the damage. She knew that they had been worried at first she might lose her eye, but they had managed to save it, however, it had been covered by the dressing now since the surgery. She still had no idea what, if any effect it had on her vision. If her vision was badly impaired, then it was possible she would have to take early retirement from her job anyway. If her vision couldn't be corrected to 20/20, then she would be unfit for duty. Dr. Wallace slowly peeled off the tape, removing the bandage. She blinked a few times as light hit it for the first time. Her eyeball was still a little red and bloodshot, and her brow and cheek were swollen and discoloured. She looked into a mirror regretfully. She wasn't especially vain, but it still upset her to see her face so badly affected. Dr. Wallace inspected the incisions and the stitching.

"Your incisions are responding well to the treatment, the surgeon did a good job." He informed her, satisfying himself with the work. "You shouldn't need skin grafts; the scarring should be barely visible."

He took out an eye chart and attached it to the opposite wall.

"Cover your left eye and read from the top." He instructed her.

Susan did as she was told, beginning to read aloud. She managed to get to about the second bottom row before having difficulty.

"That's alright; many of my other patients would love to have that level of vision." He informed her. "That's well within standard range. I'm happy to sign you off as fit for service, once your injuries have healed up of course."

He gently pressed her sides, noting her expression as she flinched.

"Your ribs should be fine in a couple of weeks." He informed her. "I know it's not much comfort, but all things considered you've been very lucky." He stated, putting away his equipment. "You should make a full recovery physically. I'll have a nurse bring you some clothes and help you dress. I'll bring up the appropriate paperwork."

"Thank you Dr. Wallace, I really appreciate everything you did." She said gratefully as the nurse came in. "I really do."

"I just did my job." He replied. "Now it's time for your friends to do theirs. There's still quite a way to go. I'll write you out a prescription for some painkillers."

As he left, Susan got off the bed, allowing the nurse to begin taking off her gown. This wasn't going to be an easy couple of weeks for her until she regained the use of her hands, but looking at the flowers that Jarrod had brought her when he came to visit, she felt her spirits lifting. There was more than one reason she had opted to stay in Ocean Bluff while she recovered.

Back at JKP, Lily was busy clearing up the back room of the apartment when RJ came back.

"I see you've been busy." He commented, looking around at the main room. "You've gotten everything looking great."

"Well I needed to clear up for Susan coming back; we don't want her to risk hurting herself." She stated with a bright smile, kissing her husband. "Besides, it'll make it easier to put up the Christmas decorations."

"Well I guess we should make an effort." He remarked, holding her tightly and stroking her abdomen gently. "After all, it's the last one before the little one puts in an appearance."

"I can't wait." She whispered softly as she thought about it. "I'm already so over the whole morning sickness thing."

"Yeah, why do they call it that again?" RJ asked. "I mean it hits you just about any time of the day."

"I know." She grumbled. "Now I know why Camille complained so much."

"Still, your next scan isn't long away." He reminded her. "I suppose you're looking forward to that as much as I am."

"Yeah, I just wish I didn't have to have my first scan so early." She remarked in reference to the accident at the restaurant. "This time I should actually be able to see something of the baby instead of just hearing movement."

"Well I'm sure it'll be worth it." RJ assured her. "Dom said he and Gabby would bring us a tree."

"Fran and Theo are coming over later." He reminded her. "Maybe they can help with the decorations."

"I'm sure they'll love to hear the latest." Lily suggested. "I'm really glad Casey didn't flip out over the Jarrod situation. They're really good together."

"Hey guys." Casey greeted them as he and Camille arrived. "I just got mom and Michelle safely to the airport. They were sorry they couldn't stay longer, but I promised that they'll be back in time for Christmas. They're looking forward to it."

"You seem pretty cheerful." RJ commented.

"Well things are looking up." He responded, throwing a newspaper onto the table. Lily saw the headline and could see why.

"Corruption! Attack on SF Cop Leads To Drug Arrests." She read aloud.

"They printed the full story, including the connection to the Karl Mason case." He informed them. "The tabloids were forced to print a retraction to their earlier stories about Susan and myself. All my students are coming back."

"How did you swing that?" RJ asked him.

"By now RJ, you should know it pays to have a millionaire backing the business." Casey informed him. "I called Dr. Hartford when the details of Susan's attacks were published. He then called the tabloids and politely reminded them that he has a very good lawyer and would sue them into bankruptcy if they didn't."

"Well that's one thing at least." Lily answered, hugging her friend. "I knew the truth about Susan would come out eventually."

"Yeah, I just wish people weren't so easily led by the press." He sighed. "I can't believe how quickly everyone turned on us."

"Well now we can all just relax and enjoy the rest of the season." RJ reminded them. "Lily's got her three month scan to look forward to, and Susan should be back here any time."

"I think my ears are burning." Susan stated, announcing her arrival as Jarrod helped her into the room. He eased her gently down onto the couch. "Thanks for letting me stay. My mom would be fussing over me all day."

"To be fair you did almost die." Casey reminded her. "I guess you have the famous Rhodes hard head to thank for the quick recovery."

"Well you should know tigger." She teased him. "How many times have you been dumped on your head in the last year?"

"What did you call me?" He asked. Susan had still been unconscious when he had told his mother and Michelle about the Ranger thing.

"Well I figured I needed to tell her." Jarrod told them as he leaned across, kissing her deeply. "She needed to know who I was if we're going to make a go of things."

"OK, I so did not need to see that." Casey said sarcastically. Jarrod just threw a pillow at his head.

"Lay off him." Susan joked. "It won't be long before I'm healed up enough to kick your butt."

"Everyone should have a dream sis." Casey laughed. "Everyone should have a dream."

"We all have dreams Casey." Theo stated, arriving with Fran, carrying a large box of decorations. "Most of them involve you in a lot of pain."

"Whoa, what's all this?" RJ asked, pointing to the overflowing box of assorted Christmas decorations. "I know we said we were decorating, but it looks like you brought Santa's Grotto."

"Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away." Fran told them nervously. "It's just that it's been quite a while since I actually looked forward to Christmas. Usually I was spending it alone in the house."

"Sorry Fran, I should have thought." RJ said regretfully. He had almost forgotten that it was only within the last year they'd found out the truth about Fran's home life. She probably didn't have much to look forward to at Christmas most years before she'd met up with the others.

"It's OK, it doesn't upset me as much as it used to." She assured them. "I'm just looking forward to having a proper Christmas for once."

Theo smiled as he heard this. They could all tell that he had something in mind, knowing Theo; he was going to do everything he could to make up for 20 years worth of horrible Christmases. He obviously had some kind of plan.

"Well you're all welcome to come around here." RJ reminded them. "I'm looking forward to having a full house for the holidays for once."

"Just think, next year there'll be two more for Christmas dinner." Casey reminded them. "It'll be cool to have a couple of kids around."

Meanwhile, over at Master Finn's place, he was busy working on a project in his work shop when Swoop and Phant arrived behind him.

"I guess you're working on a little something for Christmas." Master Phant surmised. "I guess you're looking forward to giving your son a present for the first time in years."

"You have no idea how good it feels." Finn commented, putting down his plane and grabbing some sandpaper, beginning to rub the wood. "I have a little something for the happy families."

"So I see." Phant chuckled. "You really are getting into this whole grandpa thing aren't you?"

"I kind of promised Michael I'd take care of Lily and RJ for him this year." He continued with a smile, gesturing to a laptop computer in the corner. "To think, I spent so long avoiding technology, now that Michael's explained E-mail to me, I can't think how I did without it."

"Well I'm sure he's going to be thrilled when he gets back." Swoop said with a huge grin, running a hand across one of the creations. "This is fantastic."

"He should have completed his tour by next year." Finn told them. "Until then, I'll have to be a doting enough grandfather for both of us. I just wish she was still here."

"She would have loved being a grandmother." Phant assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be watching over them."

"I know she will." Finn sighed. "I'm just glad I'm getting a chance to make amends. I've missed so much with RJ, I'm just glad I haven't missed this."

"You should stop beating yourself up over that." Swoop stated with authority. "I told you for years you should back down and make it up with him. I know you feel badly about what happened, but you learned to accept each other."

"He's inviting you into his home for Christmas." Master Phant reminded him. "He wants you to be a part of his life."

"I know I still feel guilty though." He replied. "Maybe this will go some way to mending some bridges."

"Something tells me they'll love it." Swoop said confidently.

"I hope so." He replied.


	22. Gifts

Susan was stirred gently from her sleep by a gentle shake from Lily. She winced a little as she rolled over to see her.

"Sorry, but I thought you'd want to shower." She greeted her. Susan nodded gently and offered Lily an arm to help her out of the bed. Since her hands were still not healed, she knew she would have to rely on Lily to help her. It was more than a little embarrassing, she hadn't known Lily for very long; only a couple of weeks. She only agreed to allow Lily to help her like that though, which was understandable. As embarrassing as it was, Lily was one of the few girls in the group, and she had a gentle and caring manner about her that put Susan at ease.

"It's only going to be about another week or so." Lily said soothingly, realising what was troubling her. It was only Susan's acute hatred of hospitals that led to her decision to discharge herself. It was still humiliating to have to be so reliant on other people to perform such basic tasks. Lily had been quite sensitive with her about it. She had some idea how embarrassing it must be for her. "How are you feeling anyway?"

"My hands aren't feeling quite so bad today." Susan informed her, grunting a little as she got off the bed with Lily's help. "I just wish I could use them to help me move. My ribs are killing me."

"Well that's why I'm here; just don't try to do too much." Lily instructed her, leading her to the en-suite. She helped Susan undress, before getting her into the bath tub. She began running the shower, checking it for temperature.

"I'm so glad the guys at the precinct can't see me now." Susan sighed, holding her hands up to keep her dressings from getting wet as Lily started washing her hair. "I'd never hear the end of it."

"Most of them would probably just be jealous of the attention." Lily joked. "How many of them would love to get a sponge bath?"

Susan smiled a little as she said this. She knew Lily was just trying to make her feel better. She was still really self-conscious about everything.

"I guess I only have myself to blame." She replied. "It's the first rule of undercover work. Never go in unless someone knows what you're doing."

"Well I have to agree it isn't the smartest decision you've made." Lily told her, finishing up. "You're a lot more like Casey than you think."

"Now don't tar me with that brush." Susan laughed, stopping abruptly with a slight grimace as she aggravated her ribs again. Lily looked a little sympathetic as she began helping her dry herself carefully, taking care not to hurt her.

"So are you planning on seeing Jarrod today?" Lily asked her. Susan smiled a little.

"He'll probably come around at some point." She replied. "He said he'd visit me each day."

"He's a great guy." Lily commented. "He's come a long way since Pau Zhuq."

"He told me all about that." She responded. "I never thought he could be like that. The way he's been with me, I could never imagine him as a bully, never mind a super villain."

"Well the super villain thing was all Dai Shi's fault." Lily reminded her. "Jarrod fought him all the way. I don't honestly think it was his choice to be a bully either."

"He told me a bit about his adoptive parents." She continued, extending an arm for Lily to help her from the bath. "It must have been horrible for him growing up like that. My family didn't have much, but we were never short of support. Although mom was on her own, she was always there for us."

"His folks had a lot to answer for." Lily agreed. "But he always had a good heart. He always knew right from wrong. His instructors knew it, Master Mao knew it, and so did I."

"You?" She asked.

"I never told anyone about this. When I first arrived at Pai Zhuq, I was so hurt and angry and scared being all alone that I tried to run away." She relayed the story. "I couldn't remember the path I'd taken to get to the temple and I got lost. Jarrod found me."

"He never mentioned that." Susan informed her.

"Neither of us spoke about it after that." She answered softly, taking Susan back into her bedroom and beginning to look out an outfit. "He talked to me and made me see sense. He made me see that running away wasn't going to make things any better, they'd only get worse if I was on the streets. Then he took me back to the temple."

"That sounds like him." Susan stated, holding her arms up and allowing Lily to slide a t-shirt over her head. "He's really special."

"That's why we never gave up on him." Lily told her. "We couldn't give up on him."

"Listen Lily, I'm really grateful for everything you're doing." Susan assured her. She began looking to her feet nervously. "But I was wondering if you could help me with something else."

"Sure, what can I do?" Lily asked her.

"I got all of you some presents when I knew I'd be staying for Christmas, but that was before..." Her words tailed off a little. "I think I should get him something better than a diary now."

Lily smiled and nodded as she heard this.

"The two of you are really going to try and make this work aren't you?" Lily asked her. "I think it's great the two of you found each other."

"Well it took me a while to figure it out." She laughed weakly. "I was kind of worried what Casey would say. So was Jarrod."

"He's still a little weird about it, but he'll come around." Lily assured her. "You've got to remember, Casey's been the man of the house most of his life. He probably thinks he's looking out for you."

"Well he has always tried to mess up dates for me and Michelle." She said thoughtfully, conceding the point. "I used to just think it was him being an annoying little brother."

"Well there are elements of that too." Lily agreed. "I'll take you to the mall and help you look out something for him. I need to get a turkey anyway."

"Thanks Lily." Susan replied. "For everything I mean."

"You're welcome." Lily assured her. "Besides, it'll get me out of the apartment for a while. RJ's driving me insane."

"It can't be that bad surely." Susan stated. Lily just looked at her a little disbelievingly.

"He's only letting me buy the turkey if I get it delivered." Lily chuckled. "It weighs more than 10 pounds, so he doesn't want me carrying it."

"He is aware the baby's probably going to be about that weight right?" Susan asked, gesturing to lily's slightly expanding abdomen. Her belly wasn't that big yet, but it was becoming obvious that she was starting to get a little bigger.

"That doesn't matter to him." Lily remarked as she helped Susan finish getting ready. "I can't wait for the birth. Maybe once the kid's born, he can start fussing over him and leave me in peace. Anyway, are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She replied cheerfully. "I hope I find something."

"I'm sure he'll love whatever you get him." Lily assured her. "Now, I just need to get the car keys from RJ. I'll be back in a minute."

Meanwhile at the temple, things were quiet. Dom and Jarrod had sent the students home for the holidays, so the place just seemed empty. Dom found Jarrod doing some exercises in the main courtyard.

"Hey, fancy finishing off your Christmas shopping?" He asked. Jarrod looked at him a little confused as he continued with his push ups.

"I have finished." He responded. Dom just laughed.

"Don't you think there might be someone you should be getting something for?" He asked. "Like a certain attractive brunette cop?"

Jarrod hauled himself back to his feet and straightened himself out. Thinking about it, Dom had a point. He hadn't actually gotten much for Susan. He hadn't really thought about it, they had only just begun dating, so he hadn't yet thought about getting her anything. Of course thinking about it now, he figured he might just set a new record for the shortest romance in history if he didn't get her anything.

"I guess I should get her something." He surmised, beginning to come around to Dom's way of thinking. "What do you get a girlfriend you've only just gotten together with?"

"Hey, I'm new to the whole boyfriend thing too." Dom reminded him.

"Well what did you get Gabby?" Jarrod asked him. Dom laughed.

"OK, first of all, it's a surprise for her, so telling you would kind of defeat the point." He responded. "Secondly, I don't know if you noticed this, but Gabby isn't Susan."

"I guess you're right." Jarrod sighed, realising his point. "I guess I need to think about what she likes."

"Well you know there is someone you could ask." Dom reminded him.

"But her mom and her sister went back to San Francisco." He answered. "They won't be back until Christmas they..."

"I was thinking of Casey." Dom interrupted him. "He has known her for 20 years."

"Casey isn't really that fond of me dating her." Jarrod told him. "I doubt he'd give me much in the way of reliable advice."

"Well it's just a suggestion." Dom told him. "Besides, do you really see him being petty enough to sabotage you like that? He might not like the thought of you going out with her, but he isn't going to do anything to hurt her."

"I guess you're right." Jarrod conceded. "Right now, all I know is that she enjoyed riding with me, and she likes cars. I can't really afford a horse or a car right now."

"Then I suggest you talk to Casey." Dom repeated his suggestion. Jarrod picked up his towel, wrapping it around his neck and nodded.

"I guess you're right." He said quietly. "Thanks Dom. I'll see you later."

With that, he made his way to wash up and get changed. He wanted to make sure he got her something special. He wanted to do anything he could for her, and he knew that he'd have to have this talk with Casey sooner or later anyway. If he was going to keep seeing her, he needed to at least find some measure of peace with Casey.

Lily arrived with Susan at the mall, taking her around the various shops. She hadn't known him terribly long, and she was struggling with finding something to get him.

"So what does he like?" Susan asked. "Apart from Kung Fu and horse riding of course."

"To be honest, that's about it." Lily said with a shrug. "He spent a large part of his life at Pai Zhuq, I don't think he had much time to develop hobbies outside of them."

"What about music? What kind of music does he listen to?" Susan asked, gesturing to a music store. Lily just laughed.

"They don't have electricity up at the temple." She reminded Susan. "Before I came to Ocean Bluff, I hadn't seen TV in years. I don't think he's listened to music since he was about 10."

"OK, I think I just found it." Susan said excitedly, rushing over to the window of a clothing store.

"This?" Lily asked, gesturing to one of the mannequins. Susan just nodded. "It would suit him. I think that he'd like it."

"Are you sure?" Susan asked nervously. "I mean, we can keep looking and..."

"Susan, calm down." Lily said soothingly. "I'm sure he'll love anything you get for him."

"I hope so." Susan replied quietly, looking over the mannequin once more. "Right, let's go in."

Lily followed Susan into the shop, still finding it amazingly cute how nervous the two of them were about their relationship She could remember being that way herself with RJ all those months ago when they first got together. She knew they were still figuring out everything and were eager to please each other. If they could just relax for a moment and see how into each other they were, everything would be fine.

"I really hope RJ and I didn't look like that in the early days." She whispered to herself. "I can't believe we'd have been that jittery."

Casey was taking a class at his gym when Jarrod arrived. As a result of the retraction the papers had printed, his students had returned to his class. He looked up, seeing Jarrod arrive. He gestured for one of the senior students to take over, before making his way over. Jarrod bowed to him as he arrived, Casey returned the gesture.

"They're looking impressive." He commented.

"They worked hard for it." Casey told him. "Something tells me you didn't want to talk about my students."

Jarrod took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. He knew Casey could probably guess what it was about.

"I wanted to talk to you about Susan." He began. "Can we go upstairs or something?"

"Well I guess we should get a little privacy." He agreed. "Come on, the apartment's free. Camille's having a nap, so we shouldn't be disturbed."

As Casey turned to take him up to the apartment, Jarrod breathed a sigh of relief. If Camille was in the apartment, then Casey wasn't likely to start a fight, or start screaming. He knew she needed her rest, so he wouldn't do anything stupid while she was sleeping. He followed Casey inside, where he was offered a seat.

"Look, I know this came out of the blue. It kind of did for us too." Jarrod began.

"So is this serious?" Casey asked. "Or are you just trying your luck?"

"Casey, I would never do that." Jarrod assured him. "It isn't anything like that. When Susan and I met, we found we were quite alike. We get along really well."

"So when did everything else start?" Casey asked him.

"It's hard to say. I don't know about her, but I guess on my part there always was an attraction there." He admitted. "She's not like anyone I ever met before."

Casey lightened up a little, the tone of Jarrod's voice had assured him of his sincerity, and he already had an idea of the depths of those feelings from the way things had gone down with Matthews.

"Look, I just worry about her." He said gently. "I've always looked out for my sisters. I know they're older, but I can't help it."

He breathed a sigh and sat down next to Jarrod, thinking back over everything.

"Ever since dad died, I always tried to help out. Mom and my sisters coddled me because I was so young when it happened; I guess I just kind of overreacted. I ended up trying to replace him. I thought I was expected to be the man of the house. That's why I'm so protective of everyone."

"I always did think you took your position as the Red guy pretty seriously." Jarrod commented. "I never knew you tried to be everyone's dad."

"Listen, the thing is that Susan's always been the tough one." He informed Jarrod. "But it's all an act. She just does it to protect herself."

"I don't understand." Jarrod stated, a little confused by Casey's remark.

"Michelle was always the more typical of the two. She was a cheerleader, she liked clothes, she was into boys. She was always the popular one." Casey told him. "Susan just never got into that stuff. She spent most of high school by herself. Dad was always closer to her than anybody. In some ways, one of the reasons she and I didn't get on was because dad doted on me so much, I guess she felt like he was pushing her aside."

Jarrod got the feeling this was leading somewhere and just sat quietly, listening to Casey's story.

"She's always acted tough. She made sure all the other kids thought she didn't care what they thought, but I saw what it did to her every time Michelle went on a date and she stayed at home by herself." He looked into Jarrod's eyes. "When dad died, she stayed strong for Michelle and I, but I saw what it did to her. She doesn't know this, but one time I followed her to dad's grave. She went there all the time to talk to him. She cried her eyes out. Dad's death really did a number on her."

"Casey I..."

"Jarrod, what I'm saying is that she acts tough, but she's got a good heart, and I know how easily she takes things to heart." Casey interrupted him. "That's why I worry so much. I don't want her to get hurt anymore."

"Casey, I promise I have nothing but respect for her." Jarrod assured him. "I love her, and for what it's worth, she told me she loves me."

"Well I guess I can't stop you doing anything, you are both adults." He responded. "Just, don't mess her around. If you do, then we'll have some serious words."

"I promise you I won't." Jarrod replied, holding out a hand. Casey shook it, accepting the gesture. He was always going to be wary of someone coming into his sisters' lives, but he figured that Jarrod didn't have any ulterior motives. "Look, I wanted to get her something for Christmas, but I'm not sure what kind of stuff she's into."

"You know, I think I might be able to help." Casey said with a smile. "Come with me, we're going shopping."

Susan and Lily were making their way around the supermarket, finishing their shopping when Susan was approached by a cop.

"Susan Rhodes?" One of them asked. She could tell by his uniform that he was the Commissioner.

"That's me." She replied.

"You're one seriously hard woman to find." He commented. "We've been trying to reach you on your cell phone."

"I can't exactly answer it, so I left it switched off." She reminded him, holding up her right hand. "What is it?"

"Well I wanted to talk to you about that in private." He replied. "Could you come with me?"

"It's alright; I'm getting all this stuff delivered anyway." Lily reminded her. "I'll catch you back at the apartment."

Susan went with them to the station, curious as to what exactly the commissioner could want to talk to her about. She had already given her statement to them, and they could just have dropped her gun and her badge off at the restaurant.

As they got to the commissioner's car, he gestured the other cop away, before gesturing her into the car. She did so, and he joined her, closing the door behind him.

"I sent my apologies to your commissioner for what happened." He began. "It's really embarrassing to find out something like this happened in my patch. I never would have found out about Matthews if it wasn't for your courage."

"I was just doing my job." She replied humbly. "That and getting my ass kicked."

"Well again, I'm sorry about that." He sighed. "Of course it does provide me with a problem, and you with an opportunity."

"I don't follow." She said honestly.

"I see from your records you've passed your lieutenant's exams." He remarked. "Now that Matthews is going to prison, I'm in need of a lieutenant."

"Are you serious?" She asked him. "I mean, I have friends and..."

"I understand there are things you will need to think about." He interrupted her. "Just promise me that you'll think about it."

"I will." She assured him. She saw Lily's car going past. "Could you give me a ride back to Jungle Karma?"

"I think I can manage that." He laughed, waving the other cop into the car. "Just think about it."

Susan sat quietly in the back of the car as she considered her position. She had taken and passed her lieutenant's exams in the hope of being promoted, and now she was being offered that chance. But transferring to Ocean Bluff would mean leaving behind her apartment, all her friends at the precinct, everything.

She knew that Jarrod would do everything he could to make the transition easier, but they were still only feeling out their relationship. What was going to happen if things didn't work out? At least back in San Fran, she would have the support of her friends and her family. Here she'd be on her own. She had a lot to think about.

Jarrod cradled the parcel he'd bought for Susan in his lap as Casey drove him back towards the gym. They got caught in a tailback at the freeway.

"Damn it!" Casey grumbled. "It looks like there's been some kind of accident."

"Calm down Casey, I'm sure they're doing everything they can." Jarrod assured him. Casey suddenly turned pale and pulled into the breakdown lane.

"What are you doing?" Jarrod asked him. Casey got out the car, pointing to the car being towed off the road. It was badly mangled, scorched, and barely recognisable as a vehicle, but the colour of the paint, what little of it remained was familiar. A cop ran over to them.

"Sir please get back into..."

"I think I know whose car that is!" He yelled. "I think its RJ's car."

He looked at the wreck age, seeing in horror the number plate and realising his suspicions were correct. It was his car.

"We found some personal effects in the car." He was informed. "Do you know Lily Chilman?"

"Lily James." Casey corrected him. "She got married a short time ago."

"Sir, please step aside." The officer asked him. "I'm going to have to ask you some questions."

"Questions about what?" Jarrod asked. His question was answered as he saw a stretcher being wheeled away, with a blanket covering the entirety of a shape which could only possibly be a human body.


	23. A Shock

Fran and Gabby were taking care of the lunchtime customers when Susan arrived.

"I thought you were shopping with Lily." Fran stated.

"I kind of had something to take care of." Susan said, still lost in thought over the offer that had been made to her earlier. She had no idea what to do, or even if this was real. She had been waiting for a vacant Lieutenant's position now for months. Of course it wasn't without its complications. "I thought Lily would be back by now. She left before I did."

"Well she hasn't come back yet." Fran informed her. "Maybe she had something to deal with too."

Just then, Jarrod and Casey arrived with a couple of cops. They both looked really pale and seemed to be in shock.

"I'm looking for Robert James." One of the cops addressed her. Fran looked to Jarrod and Casey. She had no idea what was going on. She just flicked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen.

"He's in there." She told them. The two cops went through as Casey and Jarrod sat down in a booth. Susan, Fran and Gabby all joined them, realising that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Fran asked them.

"Close the restaurant Fran." Jarrod instructed her.

"But all these people are here." She replied. "And we still have evening..."

"Fran, for the love of god, just close the damn restaurant!" Casey snapped angrily, causing her to jump. "RJ won't be opening the restaurant tonight, and he's going to need all of us."

"I don't understand." She replied. "What could have..."

"There was an accident on the freeway, a gas tanker jack knifed and exploded taking out a couple of cars. Lily's was one of them."

"You mean...?"

"I'm afraid so." Jarrod replied, nodding sadly as Susan put an arm around him.

RJ was in the middle of preparing some sauce when the cops arrived. He looked at them a little puzzled.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked them. They both took off their hats. This was the part of the job all cops hated.

"Robert James?" One of them asked.

"Call me RJ." He told him. "What is this about?"

"Is there somewhere we could talk privately?" The cop asked. RJ gestured them upstairs, and into the main room of the apartment. He sat down with them.

"There was an accident on the freeway, a petrol tanker jack knifed and took out some cars. One of them was identified as belonging to you."

RJ's heart froze as he heard this. He had given the keys to Lily so she could go to the mall.

"The explosion engulfed the car, I'm afraid that the passenger never survived." He informed RJ. "I'm truly sorry."

RJ smiled a little, unable to comprehend what they were telling him. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true.

"This is a mistake surely." He said in a hopeful tone. "Please, you've got to be mistaken."

"We've run the plates and know the car is registered to you." The officer told him. He pulled out a small plastic bag, containing an all-too familiar cell phone and wallet. The wallet was open, showing Lily's driver's licence.

"Are these your wife's belongings?" The officer asked.

RJ never answered. He took the bag and just stared at them in disbelief. He eventually nodded to confirm the detail. He looked at them, his eyes already begging them for some form of confirmation this wasn't happening.

"Can...Can I see her?" RJ asked, his voice forced and breaking.

"I'm afraid a body was pulled from the wreckage." The officer informed him. "Because of the explosion and the heat of the flames, the remains aren't recognisable. However, we can confirm that it was a female."

"My wife's pregnant." RJ rushed out, still hoping for some kind of sign that this wasn't really happening. The two officers just looked to each other.

"Mr. James, the body we pulled out of the wreckage was also pregnant." He informed the Wolf Master. "I'm truly sorry."

RJ buried his face in his hands as his heart collapsed. His mind begged for him to wake up and for this to all be just a horrible dream, but it wasn't happening. He was awake, and if that was true, then this was too. Lily was gone, and he had lost everything.

"Is there someone we can contact?" The cop asked. RJ just shook his head. He knew it would fall to him to inform Michael what had happened to his daughter. He eventually looked up.

"Can you leave me?" He asked them. They both just nodded wordlessly. They understood that he was in shock and would need time to come to terms with what he had been told. He had to accept the fact that his wife and his unborn child were dead.

"Your friends are downstairs." One of the cops informed him. "I'm sorry."

With that, the cops left. As they left, they were passed by the others, coming up the stairs. Casey arrived first, seeing RJ just sitting on the couch, just rocking gently, his lip quivering. He wasn't able to weep; he still couldn't grasp what he'd just been told. It was too much. RJ looked over, seeing Casey and the others in the doorway. Casey approached him slowly, before opening his arms. RJ stood up, approaching his former student, before throwing his arms around him with the passion of the desperate, burying his face in his chest. Casey held him as he wept for the woman he loved.

"Jarrod, call the others." Casey whispered. "He's going to need all of us right now."

Just short of an hour later, Master Finn arrived, knocking gently on the door. Fran answered, seeing him standing there nervously.

"How is he?" He asked. She knew he had lost his wife when RJ was an infant, and so he would know what it felt like. She just gestured him inside.

"He's doing as well as we can hope." She informed him. "Lily was everything to him."

Master Finn came into the main room, finding Casey, Theo, Dom, Fran, Gabby, Jarrod and Susan all gathered around him. RJ sat; holding the paperback book of fairytales Lily loved so much, slugging Saki. Finn wasn't happy that he was drinking so much, but he could understand under the circumstances. He had gotten completely wrecked himself when he lost his wife. It was only the intervention of Swoop and Phant to take care of RJ that stopped him losing his son too.

RJ saw his dad and waved him over. Finn sat down next to him, putting his arm around his son.

"I know this hurts." He said soothingly, stroking his back and pouring himself a cup. If RJ was planning to drink, he didn't want him to do so alone.

"I let her go." RJ whimpered. "She said she was going to get the turkey and I let her go!"

"RJ, you can't protect the ones you love 24/7." Master Finn told him. "I wish I could have, I blamed myself for what happened to your mother for so long, but the fact is she was her own woman. She knew the risks when she took on the battle. I couldn't have stopped her if I wanted to."

"I failed her!" RJ whimpered, guzzling more booze. "I failed Lily and I failed the baby!"

"RJ, you did everything you could." Finn assured him. "You can't blame yourself for the fact that a truck..."

"She shouldn't have been out there!" He snarled. "I could have ordered a turkey from my supplier! I could have ordered everything from my supplier! There was no reason for Lily to leave the apartment!"

"Do you think that would have made her happy?" Finn asked him. "She already complained about how much you protected her. She would probably have gone out anyway. What would you have done? Chain her to the bed?"

"I can't do it dad!" RJ sobbed, his tears finally coming through. "I can't live without her. I just can't!"

Master Finn grabbed him and held him tightly, allowing his son to release his pain. The others couldn't imagine what he was going through. Master Phant came into the room at this point with Swoop.

"Is what we heard true?" Phant asked nervously. His eyes were already sparkling. The others knew how close he and Lily had gotten across the time they had trained together.

"I'm afraid it is." Theo told him. Swoop placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He knew that Theo had been friends with her for years, and could guess at how much this would affect him. "She died earlier this afternoon."

They all congregated in the centre of the room, lost in their thoughts. All they could think about was what they had lost when she died.

"I'll miss her smile." Casey finally said, breaking the silence. Everyone looked at him, slightly taken aback. "Back when I was first coming into the group, I always doubted myself. I always wondered if I had a place, but there was something about her smile that made me feel like I was the most important man in the world. There was something about her smile that let me know that we'd be friends for the rest of our lives."

"I'll miss her laugh." Theo chipped in. "There was something about it that was infectious. Even when something wasn't funny, if she started laughing, I'd always find myself joining in."

"I'll miss her courage." RJ told them. Everyone fell silent, it was the first time he'd spoken of her since the whole nightmare had begun. "It was what drew me to her in the first place. She refused to give up; she refused to accept being helpless. I was always impressed with the way she always found a way to come back, no matter how low she got."

"I guess that's what we all have to do now." Master Phant mused, wiping away some tears with his wrist. "We all need to regroup and..."

They were interrupted as they heard a key in the lock. Who could have a key to the door? The door flew open and everyone lost all capacity to move, breathe or think. They couldn't believe what they saw.

"You guys will not BELIEVE the day I've had!" Lily barked, throwing her jacket into the corner. "Some asshole stole the car! Then, when I asked the store if they could drop me off back here, they told me the delivery driver had already left."

She picked up a bottle of water, taking a long slug.

"Then, I asked every taxi driver I could find if they'd bring me back and let me pay them when I got here, but none of them would believe I was pregnant, so they refused, so I had to walk all the way home and..."

Lily stopped as she saw virtually everyone she knew and cared about in the room, staring at her like she had returned from the dead.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Lily asked them. RJ approached her slowly, placing his hands on her and gently touching and stroking her, checking that she was real, before grabbing her in a vice-like grip. The others quickly gathered around, all grabbing her.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Lily asked them. "I like hugs, but this is getting a little weird."

"I thought I'd lost you!" RJ yelled, looking at the woman he loved in all her glory. He forced her into a deep, passionate kiss, taking her completely by surprise, before holding her tightly.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Lily asked.

"Lily, whoever stole your car was involved in an accident." Master Phant explained. "We thought you were dead."

She seemed a little faint at this news. RJ picked her up, setting her down in his recliner.

"You thought I was dead?" She asked.

"Lily, I can't tell you what I've been through!" RJ said excitedly. "I thought I'd lost you!"

"RJ, I'm fine." She reminded him.

"I'll need someone to dial the phone for me." Susan stammered out, finally coming out of her shock. "The cops will need to know that they still have to identify the body."

"I don't know how to feel." Casey remarked. "Lily, I'm grateful you're alright..."

"But someone is still dead." She concluded. "I really wish that hadn't happened."

With that, they whole room became a little more subdued. Suddenly their relief and gratitude at the fact Lily was alive seemed somewhat inappropriate. Sure, the person who had died had stolen her car, but she didn't deserve to die for that.

"I wonder who she was." Fran whispered.

"I really wish I knew what her story was." Jarrod stated. "Sometimes I wish we could do more."

"There's only so much anyone can do." Master Finn reminded him. "Even Power Rangers."

With that, they all had a quiet night of reflection, all of them contemplating how much they did for the world, and accepting the fact that even they couldn't help everyone.


	24. A Second Chance

RJ woke up, finding Lily resting comfortably in his arms and again gave thanks for his good fortune. Facing the prospect of losing her and the child had been a true nightmare, and so it was a relief to have her returned to him. It tore his heart in two when he thought she was gone, but now he had another chance to take care of her.

He squeezed her gently, kissing her passionately as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning beautiful." He greeted her with a huge smile. Lily couldn't help smiling back at him. He'd been so relieved that she had turned out to be alright, that he had been incredibly attentive and affectionate towards her that night. It was like their honeymoon all over again, and to RJ it was. It was a second chance at doing everything right.

"Good morning." She replied. "What time is it?"

"Does that matter?" He asked. "We have all the time in the world together."

"Susan will need me to help her." Lily reminded him, stirring a little in his grip. "What time is it?"

He looked to the alarm clock and saw the time.

"It's 8:00 AM." He told her. "Flit and Theo are covering the restaurant today."

"I can't believe I slept so late." She grumbled, beginning to pull back the covers. "I need to get up and help Susan."

"I'm sure she'll be fine if you're a little late." He replied, pulling the covers back over her. "Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Well I think Junior's got a little bit of a sweet tooth this morning." She informed him. "I'd love some pancakes…"

"I'll have some ready in a few minutes." He interrupted her, kissing her deeply and making his way out of the room. "Don't move a muscle."

She watched him go, feeling grateful herself. She had been understandably upset when the car had been stolen, and even more so when she realised her wallet and her phone were still inside, meaning she couldn't call for a lift or pay for a cab. She'd complained bitterly as she was forced to walk all the way home from the mall, but all things considered things could have been worse. Whoever had taken the car had been involved in that accident, leading to the others fearing the worst. She was still a little upset thinking about that.

Lily quickly washed and dressed herself, pulling her hair into a rough pony tail as she prepared to go and help Susan with her morning ritual. She needed to help her with her pain medication and getting dressed, though fortunately she knew it would likely only be a few more days until her hands healed enough to be able to deal with that herself. RJ came into the room, carrying a large stack of pancakes and a variety of toppings, along with glasses of just about every kind of fruit juice imaginable.

"I forgot to ask you what you wanted on your pancakes." He rushed out, setting down the tray. "I also didn't know what juice you wanted, or if you'd like coffee, but caffeine probably isn't good for the baby and…why are you out of bed?"

"RJ, I have to help Susan, remember?" She answered him. "Take that lot out to the table; this should only take me about twenty minutes."

"Lily, you were exhausted after walking all that way yesterday." He commented. "Let me deal with Susan, you just rest up and have some breakfast."

"RJ, I have to shower her." Lily reminded him. "You know, wash her? I think she'd be more comfortable if I did it."

"Lily, I'm a healer." He stated. "I'll be professional and…"

"Susan's only known you for just over a week." She interrupted him. "She's still not entirely comfortable relying on me to help her, I doubt she'd be that receptive to the idea of you dressing her and washing her."

He let out a sigh and picked up the tray, heading back into the living room.

"Just, don't strain yourself." He said softly, a look of concern on his face. Lily just rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. She should probably have seen this coming. He'd always been protective of her, and even more so since Karl had hurt her in the restaurant. Given the events of the previous night, she should have been able to tell that he's be fussing over her. In many ways it was sweet, and she was grateful that he cared so much, but it had been getting old for a while now. She hadn't been allowed to work in the restaurant or go into the kitchen for over a week now. He still stopped her doing any but the most gentle of exercises, and he had even forbidden her from carrying the groceries. Of course that had ended up being for the best considering the fact she'd ended up walking. She got into Susan's room, finding her struggling to get out of bed.

"You should have waited for me." Lily told her sympathetically, coming to her side ad helping her to sit up on the bed. She went into the bathroom, pouring her a glass of water and getting her a pill. "You knew I would help you."

"I kind of figured you and RJ would want a little time to yourselves." She replied knowingly, giving Lily a little wink. "I figured I'd be fine by myself for a little while."

"Well, he was pleased to have me safe and sound." Lily commented with a small blush. "It was nice."

"So why am I not bowled over with emotion when I hear you say that?" Susan asked her.

"It's just…" Her words tailed off for a second as she thought about it. She knew RJ was just trying to look out for her, but his care was becoming a little suffocating. "I just wish he could back off a little."

"Lily, would you like some green tea to go with your breakfast?" RJ called through the door. Lily muttered something under her breath.

"I'll be fine with OJ thanks." She answered, before beginning to unravel the dressings on Susan's hands.

"Your husband's making you breakfast and you're complaining?" Susan giggled. "Do you know how many women would kill for a husband like that?"

"Well that's all well and good but…"

"Freshly squeezed?" RJ shouted through, interrupting her.

"The carton's fine RJ." She answered, shaking her head.

"OK, I think I see what you mean." She commented, looking down at her fingers as Lily finished taking off the dressings. They were still stiff, and felt sore, but the swelling had gone down considerably.

Well, let's get you into that shower." Lily suggested. "Before..."

"Are you feeling OK?" RJ screamed through. "Would you like some dry toast?"

"I'm fine RJ; I'll let you know if I get sick." She shouted back, before turning back to Susan. "Before RJ sends me completely insane!"

Susan just laughed at this. She could now completely sympathise with Lily. It was bad enough having to get so much help and feeling a little useless, but to have someone thrusting such care forced on her when she was still more than capable of looking after herself had to be as frustrating as hell.

RJ had finished preparing the breakfast, a veritable feast by the time he'd considered virtually every possible option she would possibly want, and every nutritional need he could foresee the baby needing when Jarrod arrived.

"So when are you expecting company?" He asked, picking up a piece of toast and taking a bite.

"I was just making a little breakfast." RJ responded. "I take it you're here for Susan?"

"She wanted to stop by the precinct to get her gun and her badge back." He informed him, taking a seat. "I get the feeling she's starting to miss being on duty."

"Well she doesn't seem like the type to be able to sit still for long." RJ agreed. "Coffee?"

"Thanks that would be great." Jarrod stated as he reached for a banana. "You know Lily doesn't seem like the type to sit still for long either."

RJ just gave him a withering look, causing Jarrod to drop the subject immediately. He had a feeling that RJ was taking the shock of the previous day's events hard. He couldn't blame him really, he'd had a hard enough time thinking about what he'd do if he'd lost Susan and they weren't really dating when she'd been attacked. To be forced to face losing Lily after so much had to have shaken him to the core.

"So did you pick out something for Susan?" RJ asked. "I guess you probably got her something for Christmas."

"Uh...Yeah." Jarrod responded, noting the change of subject. "Casey helped me pick something out."

"So you and he are cool now?" RJ asked him. "I know he was a little...well..."

"We've talked about it." Jarrod interrupted him, realising what RJ was getting at. "He's not exactly cool about it, but he's agreed to back off. He's just worried about her, I know that."

"Well I'm sure he'll come around in time." RJ assured him. "Besides, I've seen the way you look at each other, I doubt there's much he could do about it anyway."

"What are you guys talking about?" Susan asked as she came into the room. "Something tells me my ears should be burning."

"I was just telling RJ we're going to the precinct." Jarrod told her, kissing her cheek. "After that, I was hoping we could spend the day together."

"I think I could manage that." She replied with a mischievous grin. "What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of a movie or something." He told her. "How do you feel about that?"

"Just no chick flicks." She warned him. "I'll see you guys later."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Jarrod asked her. Susan looked a little puzzled, though understood as he gestured to the table. "You should eat something."

"Oh...right." She said nervously. She looked away from him, feeling a little tightness in her chest. She hadn't forgotten she just didn't want him to see her as vulnerable. She would need to get someone to feed her, and she had no desire to be fed like an infant in front of Jarrod. Lily noticed the reaction.

"Jarrod, could you get me a newspaper?" Lily asked him, handing him some cash.

"I could..." RJ stopped as Lily gave him a look.

"Sure, no problem." Jarrod told her, turning and leaving. Susan sat by the table.

"Thank you." She murmured as Lily picked up some pancakes.

"You're welcome." Lily responded, beginning to feed her. "Listen, I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Sure, what?" Susan asked her.

"I was wondering if you could find out who...?" Her words tailed off a little. Susan could guess what this was about.

"You want me to see if they identified the body." Susan surmised. "Look, are you sure?"

"If I hadn't stopped at that maternity store to look at the toys, I'd have been on the freeway." She replied. "If I had been a couple of minutes earlier..."

"Then you'd be dead." RJ reminded her. "You shouldn't upset yourself like this, you shouldn't..."

"I want to know who she was RJ." Lily interrupted him sharply. "I want to know who died in my place."

"Look, I can understand why you want to know, but RJ has a point, you'll just upset yourself." Susan told her. "Are you really sure that's something you want to know?"

"No." Lily sighed. "It's something I need to know."

"I'll find out what I can." Susan assured her. Jarrod arrived back at this point.

"I got that newspaper." He announced, coming back into the apartment. "Are you ready to go Susan?"

"I'm ready." She replied. "Thanks for this Jarrod."

They both left, leaving RJ and Lily alone in the apartment. RJ came over to Lily.

"Look, I don't think this is a good idea." He told her. "I know you're upset about what happened. I am too. But you still have to consider the baby. This is only going to..."

"RJ, that's enough!" She snapped. "Look, we really need to talk. Sit down."

As he joined her on the couch, Lily held his hand gently. The frustration had been building for a while now, and it had finally boiled over. She could see the slight look of hurt in his eyes, and knew she had to tread carefully on this subject.

"Lily, I only want to protect you." He assured her. "I love you."

"RJ, I know you love me." She said softly. "I know you want to protect me and the baby, but this has gotten way out of hand."

"Lily, I almost lost you." He reminded her. "I've had to face the prospect of losing the baby twice now."

"So have I." She answered. "You're not the only one who's scared, I am too. This is my first time as well, I don't know what to expect."

"I just..."

"RJ, I spend about half an hour each day throwing up. Any time I feel hot I worry that I'm sick and it'll affect the baby. I find myself crying for no reason at all one minute and deliriously happy the next." She explained. "I'm scared all the time, but I know that we can't protect the baby from everything. To think otherwise is just foolish."

"I can't bear the thought of anything happening." RJ replied. "I lived almost my whole life without mom, and I saw what it did to dad. It was one of the reasons we ended up drifting apart."

"RJ, I'm not going to do anything stupid, but you can't wrap me in cotton wool." She told him. "We can't protect the baby from everything. I don't want to think about it, but there are so many things that could go wrong between now and when he's born that we can't do anything about."

"All the more reason not to take any chances." RJ snapped.

"What about when the baby is born?" She asked him. "There'll be colds, coughs, skinned knees, broken bones...RJ, what are you going to do? Lock us up in this room for the rest of our lives? Go to school with him to make sure he doesn't get picked on?"

"Lily..."

"RJ, I know you want to protect us, but bad things are going to happen." She said gently, stroking his face with her hand. "All we can do is live our lives and be there for each other when bad things do happen. All of us."

"I guess I have been a little crazy lately." He relented, a tear beginning to form. "Have I really been that bad?"

"I was wondering when you were going to start chaining me to the bed." She laughed. RJ laughed too.

"Dad said pretty much the same thing." He replied. "I'm sorry I've been so overprotective."

"Just try to calm down a little." She stated. "Try to look past the fear and see the excitement. We're having a baby."

"Yes we are." He replied, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. "Yes we are."

Susan went into the commissioner's office, taking a seat at his invitation.

"Your gun and your badge," he began, placing them down on the desk. "Of course it's not the badge I want to give you."

"I still haven't made my mind up about that yet." She told him. She had made Jarrod wait out in the hall so they could talk privately because she was sure the matter of the job offer would come up. She still had no idea if she should take the job or not, and she didn't want Jarrod to get his hopes up unnecessarily, especially if she ended up turning the position down. "Did you get that file I asked for?"

"Her name was Alicia Johnstone." He told her, opening the file. Susan looked over it. "She was known to us for auto theft. It seems she dropped out of college a few months ago, since she was pregnant, I guess there's no mystery as to why."

"She was just a kid." Susan remarked, looking at the file. The date of birth placed her as just short of 18.

"I guess she got together with the wrong guy." The commissioner stated. "Her family have been informed; her remains will be released later in the week."

"You said she was known to you for auto theft..."

"It seems she was caught a while back with a few other cars that didn't belong to her in a chop shop." He told her. "She neglected to mention the baby. We think she got involved in this to earn money. It looks like she planned on keeping the baby."

"Do we know who did this to her?" Susan asked. "Do we know who the father is?"

"We haven't tracked him down, by now I doubt we will." He responded. "Of course he couldn't have been much of a Prince Charming if he ditched her while she was pregnant."

He sat on the desk, looking at her with a smile. "This is why I want you."

"Excuse me?" She remarked.

"Cases like this still bother you." He remarked. "You haven't become cynical. In my experience there're two kinds of cops, ones that become cops for the right reasons, and those who become cops for the wrong reasons."

He circled the desk, taking a seat on his chair and pouring himself some coffee. Susan politely refused his offer of a cup.

"I look out in that yard and I look at what I inherited from the last commissioner. About a dozen cops with the compassion and understanding to make a difference and the rest are a veritable who's who of body-proud macho idiots who think a badge and a gun makes them important." He told her. "I'm looking to make a lot of changes to redress the mistakes of the old administration. If I have my way, incidents like the Matthews case will never happen on my patch again."

"You seriously want me?" Susan asked. Matthews just laughed.

"Taking on Matthews took a lot of guts. Not a lot of brains, but a lot of guts." He commented. "You're still young, so the intelligence and experience will come with time. The guts and the heart? They're things no one can teach."

"I don't know what to say." She replied.

"Well there's only two choices, yes or no." He answered. "Now, would you like to go back to being a sergeant in San Fran? Or would you like to come here."

Susan just sat in the office, finding it hard to concentrate. It was a huge decision, and both sides seemed to make a lot of sense. She loved the comparative quiet of Ocean Bluff, the people seemed really nice, and she'd have her brother, as well as Jarrod with her. She'd have the promotion she'd been waiting for, and the commissioner seemed to be on the level about wanting things to change.

Of course she also had an apartment and all her friends back in San Francisco. Her mom and her sister were there. She loved what she had with Jarrod, but realistically they had only been going out for about a week. She didn't know if what they had would last yet, and she knew it would be a thousand times harder to get over a breakup if she was living on the guy's doorstep.

"Well, what's it going to be Officer Rhodes?" The Commissioner asked her. "Is it Merry Christmas San Francisco? Or Ocean Bluff?"

Susan bit her lip as she considered her answer.


	25. A Winter's Date

Susan came out of the commissioner's office, looking a little conflicted. Jarrod wasn't sure how to read her. Normally he had pretty good instincts as far as people's thoughts and emotions went, but right now he couldn't place his finger on what was wrong with Susan. She didn't seem angry, or sad, or even particularly upset. If anything she seemed to be more confused than anything else. He came over to her.

"So did you find out?" He asked her. She stared at him blankly for a while, not sure what he was talking about before remembering about the file. Lily had asked her to find out about the victim of the crash for her own peace of mind. She shook free the couple of cobwebs and tried to recall what had been said.

"Um...yeah...I can't go into details, but it was a kid." She eventually managed to stammer out. "She dropped out of college when she found out she was pregnant and started stealing cars to raise funds. They figure she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jarrod put an arm protectively around her. One of the things he liked about Susan was her humanity. Despite being in a job where she would see the very worst of human nature, the depths people would sink to, she had lost none of her compassion. She could still empathise with others when things were going badly. She had been genuinely upset when Karl died, and this girl's death also seemed to be playing on her mind. He could still tell that more was going on in her mind, but if she wasn't yet ready to talk, then he knew he couldn't make her.

"Does her family know?" He asked her.

"According to the commissioner they've been informed." She replied sadly. "They still don't know who the father is."

"Well at least they know and can mourn." Jarrod commented, holding her gently, so as not to aggravate her injured ribs. "I can't believe anyone would ditch their kid like that. It just...I can't understand it..."

"Not everyone is like you." She reminded him, looking into his eyes sympathetically. Between his experiences with his adoptive parents and the loss of the child he had with Camille, she knew that this had most likely brought up some unpleasant feelings for him. "Sometimes people are scumbags. There really isn't an explanation for that."

"Well I think I could do with something to take our minds off this." He remarked. "There's some new Disney Pixar movie on at the theatre. Does that sound good?"

"You are such a big kid!" She giggled, looking up at him.

"One good thing about my adoptive parents was that their lack of parenting skills led to them getting me loads of animated films." He responded. "I must have seen "Jungle Book" 50 times before I was five."

"I thought you'd be more into "The Lion King" personally." She chuckled. Jarrod just leant down, kissing her cheek.

"So are you OK with that?" He asked.

"I'm always OK with that." She answered, in reference to the kiss. "I don't mind the choice of film either. I'm kind of a big kid myself. My idea of heaven is a night of non-stop cartoons."

"Somehow I think this is going to be a good night." Jarrod remarked. Susan never answered though, her brain was still mulling over the decision. She knew that the Commissioner couldn't hold the offer open forever, but she had told him she still needed a couple of days to think about it. She loved spending time with Jarrod, and in many ways she hoped things would work out between them, but it wasn't as if that was a good enough reason in itself to just uproot her life.

San Francisco wasn't that far away, just a few hours' drive. Whichever decision she made, it wasn't as if she was making an outright decision. If she stayed in San Fran, she knew she could see Jarrod a couple of times a week, and there were always holidays. Of course the same was also true of her mother and Michelle if she opted to come to Ocean Bluff. Jarrod led her out of the station as she continued to torture herself with her thoughts. He was a little concerned how quiet she was. He couldn't help the feeling that there was something she wasn't telling him.

Back in the restaurant, Gabby and Fran were clearing up after the lunch rush. RJ came down to check on them, noting the remarkably presentable state of the restaurant.

"This is looking good; I see the kindergarten's Christmas party didn't cause you any problems."

"You should have seen this place half an hour ago." Gabby moaned, slumping into one of the booths. "We haven't stopped all afternoon, I feel really wiped out."

"Trust me, if your kid ends up like those little monsters, then you'll realise he doesn't need all that care you're giving him." Fran agreed. "It'll be you and Lily needing protecting."

"Well, Lily and I had a talk about that." RJ sighed, remembering the scolding he'd been given earlier by his increasingly-miserable wife. "More accurately, she talked and I listened. The point is she made me see I've been a little..."

"Psychotic?" Gabby suggested.

"Insane?" Fran interjected.

"Over-bearing?" Gabby put down again. RJ halted them by holding up his hands.

"OK, I get the point. I realise I've been taking things way too far." He continued. "So I've agreed to fuss around her a lot less and let things come as they will."

"Haaaaaalllelujah!" The two girls sang together before bursting into fits of laughter.

"I really should stop employing friends." RJ grumbled. "Anyway, I was wanting to ask both of you how you were booked for Black Friday."

"Black Friday?" Gabby asked.

"Tomorrow." RJ informed her. "In catering and hospitality the last Friday before Christmas is called Black Friday. Basically that's the day most offices shut down for Christmas, so it's the night almost everyone goes out. It's usually the busiest night of the year for any restaurant bar or hotel."

"I'm free." Fran told him with a shrug. "My preliminaries aren't until January."

"They do the same thing at School, so I'm free." Gabby responded. "Why?"

"I'm planning on going out with a bang." He informed them, handing each of them a flier. "I was planning on shutting down the restaurant across January anyway while we got guys in to knock through into the building next door we bough, you already know that. Anyway, I'm having these sent out, and I'm planning to have a huge party here to say adios to the old JKP."

"That sounds cool!" Gabby shrieked. "All these great deals, I'd love to come!"

"Not what I had in mind." RJ groaned, gently taking back the fliers. "I'll need all hands on deck, so I was wondering if you'd work."

The two girls looked at each other, considering their options.

"Come on guys, I promise we'll have a party ourselves afterwards." He pleaded with them. "Come on, just one night?"

Fran bit her lip and gave him his 'give me a reason' face. RJ groaned as he realised that they had him over a barrel.

"OK, double time for the shift." He told them. "I guess I have to give you something since shifts will be pretty non-existent next month."

"OK." Gabby answered.

"You got it boss!" Fran chirped cheerfully.

"If you can rope in Theo and Dom too, that would be great, the more hand at the stations the better." He commented. "I'm hoping to give the old girl a huge send off."

"I'm sure they'll be fine to work." Fran commented, looking around the restaurant nostalgically. "It's more than just the place we used to work; this place has been a home to all of us. It wouldn't be right to close it down without all of us here."

"I guess I'm going to miss this place. I know it's only going to be closed for a month, but this place has been amazing. I've got so many memories here."

"We all have." Casey chipped in, arriving with Camille, helping her into a chair. "I can't believe by the end of next month this place will be double the size."

"Neither can I." RJ replied, a sly grin crossing his face as he looked at Casey, beginning to get a thought. "Tell me, are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon?"

"Oh no, you're not conning me into working." He answered, pre-empting his request. "I am not serving..."

"Actually I had something else in mind." RJ interrupted him, leading him into the back. "Tell me, you like kids don't you?"

Susan left the theatre with Jarrod, having missed most of the movie. She still couldn't get her head around the decision that lay ahead of her. For every time she came up with a strong reason for one side, and seemed to be about to make up her mind, she'd suddenly remember another argument for the opposite decision. She almost resigned herself to simply leaving her decision and waiting until Commissioner Harris retracted his offer, taking the decision out of her hands, but she knew that would be foolish too. She had no idea when another Lieutenant's position would become available, and simply refusing to answer would not exactly leave a great impression. At least if she refused, then she wouldn't seem like a waste of time. Her thoughts were snapped back as Jarrod kissed her cheek.

He had to do something to get her attention. He could see that she wasn't concentrating on the film; she hadn't even shown much interest in the popcorn they'd bought. He knew that there was something she wasn't telling him. Although they'd only been together a short time, he already had a pretty good idea when she wasn't being straight with him.

"Come on, the movie wasn't that bad." He joked weakly. "Sure it was no "Toy Story", but it wasn't bad."

"The movie was fine." She told him with a little half-smile. "I just didn't get much sleep. I'm hoping for good news when I see my doctor tomorrow."

"You've got to give yourself time." He said sympathetically, stroking her back. He could still tell she wasn't telling him everything, but this did make a lot of sense. He knew she had an appointment to get her injuries checked out. "You almost died."

"I know, I just..." Her words tailed off, she couldn't bear lying to his face. "I really just want to get these damned dressings off."

"Well..."

"Look, sorry, would you mind if I just go back to the apartment?" She asked him, interrupting him. "I really don't feel like doing much."

"Um...sure." Jarrod finally responded. "I'll take you back."

He tried to kiss her, but she quickly turned her cheek, causing him to miss her lips. He smiled at her, but inside he had felt a sense of rejection. He turned and put his arm around her, leading her back towards JKP, making sure she couldn't see the hurt in his eyes. He didn't want to believe it, but her reaction left him feeling like he'd finally figured out what was wrong. Sooner or later, he was sure he'd be having the "just friends" talk with her.

Back at JKP, Casey and RJ finally returned to the room, bringing Lily with them. The look on her face informed them that she had been laughing.

"So are you going to tell us what that was about?" Camille asked, noting Casey's expression. He didn't look especially happy about something, but he just shook his head.

"You'll have to wait." He told her, kissing her softly. "RJ, I can't believe you talked me into this."

"Lily?" Fran asked, but she shook her head.

"Sorry guys, I'm sworn to secrecy." She replied, still struggling to keep a straight face. "You'll have to wait until Friday."

"Well at least we don't have to wait long." Gabby commented. At that point, Susan and Jarrod arrived back.

"Casey, could I talk to you for a minute?" She asked him, coming to her younger brother's side.

"Sure, what's it about?" He asked.

"Not here." She replied. "I need to talk to you in private."

"Upstairs is free." RJ told them. "Feel free."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Jarrod stated, turning to leave. "I'll be here when you get back from your appointment."

Dom saw the way Jarrod left, realising there was something wrong with him. He kissed Gabby and left with him. Jarrod had a habit of trying to deal with everything by himself.

By the time they got back to the temple, Jarrod looked to be close to tears. He slumped down onto some stone steps outside the main building, wringing his hands through his hair.

"Look, what's going on?" Dom asked him. "Usually I have to drag you down out of the clouds after spending time with her."

"Maybe I'm just tired." He muttered. "You know I don't have to talk to you about everything."

"No, you could just spend the time sulking like a five year old instead." He replied. "Look something's bothering you, I know it is. It's something about Susan isn't it?"

"She's fine." Jarrod told him.

"But you're not." Dominic snapped. "Now, are you going to tell me what this is about?"

Jarrod breathed a sigh and thought about it. He had always been worried about what would happen with Susan, especially when he considered that her home was not in Ocean Bluff.

"I guess the age difference was more important than I thought." He began as Dom sat down with him, putting an arm around him. "Susan was really distant today, and then she turned from me when I tried to kiss her."

"That might not mean anything." Dom told him. "She's been through a lot; she has a lot on her mind..."

"Dom, be serious for a minute. She's going to be completely healed in a couple more weeks, and then what's going to happen?" He asked, his exasperation coming obvious. "She'll be going back to San Francisco. I think she's having second thoughts. I think she's planning on breaking it off."

"Don't you think you should talk to her before jumping to conclusions?" Dom asked him.

"What's the point?" He asked. "Her job's in San Francisco, her home's in San Francisco. I can't leave the temple, what do I have to offer her?"

"You've said it yourself; San Fran's not that far away." Dom said reassuringly.

"I've been kidding myself." Jarrod sighed, getting up and making his way back to his chambers. "Let's face facts Dom, we might be attracted to each other, but it's over. She's going and there's nothing I can do about that."

Dom watched him leave feeling a great swell of pity for his younger brother. A lot of what he said had made sense; unfortunately it didn't make it easier to deal with.

Meanwhile, having talked at length with her brother, Susan finally plucked up the courage to make her decision.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her. Susan just nodded. He dialled the phone and put it on speaker phone before turning to leave.

"Casey." She called after him as the phone began ringing. "Tell Lily I'll go with her to the hospital. Her scan's at the same time as my appointment."

"I will." He replied. "Good luck sis."

The phone was answered after a few rings.

"Commissioner Harris." The man on the other end answered.

"Commissioner, it's Susan Rhodes." She told him. "I've made my decision."

The following day, things were in full swing when Lily and Susan came back from the hospital. Dom, Gabby, Fran and Theo were running around like maniacs keeping up with the veritable throng of customers. Over it's just short of two years being open; JKP had gotten a lot of loyal customers who were there to bid the old place a fond farewell. Camille waved them over to a table where she was sitting with RJ.

"I see you're feeling better!" She greeted Susan, noting the dressings were now gone from her hands.

"They still feel a little weird, but the doctor says the bones have knitted." She replied. "I'm just glad I can feed and wash myself again."

"Anyway, we both know what you really want to see." Lily remarked, pulling out some pictures. She handed them to RJ, who inspected them with a huge smile.

"This is our baby?" He whispered, unable to tear himself from the scan.

"The doctors said that the heartbeat's really strong." She told him, tracing her fingers across the scan. "This is the head, and you can just make out an arm here."

"This is amazing." RJ said in a nervous laugh. "I know I've seen your scans Camille, but it just isn't the same when it's your own child."

"I couldn't stop crying when I saw it." Lily told him. "I was just overjoyed. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Just then, a huge uproar came from the back. Camille and the others all turned to see what the fuss was, laughing as they saw Casey making his way into the room, dressed as Santa Claus.

"I guess this was the big surprise you had planned." Camille chuckled. "How did you talk him into that?"

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." He informed them. "I just wanted to give everyone something to remember the old JKP by.

"So where's Jarrod?" Susan asked, looking around and failing to find the Lion Master anywhere. "I thought he'd be here."

"He didn't come." Dom told her, arriving with a couple of drinks.

"Why not?" Susan asked, looking a little upset. He knew she was going to the doctor today. "Why isn't he here?"

Dom gestured to her to come with him. He stepped outside with her to get a little privacy.

"He's a little upset." He told her. "I know this isn't your fault, but he really likes you."

"I know he does, that's why I want to know why he isn't here." She replied. "I wanted to see him..."

"And he figured out why." Dom interrupted her. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him, but you have. He can't bear to watch you go. He knows you're planning on ditching him."

"Why the hell would he think that?" She shrieked.

"You kept your distance from him. He knows you're going back to San Fran..."

"Dom, he can't think that." Susan interrupted him, tears beginning to fall. "It isn't true; I wanted to tell him that. I was going to..."

"Susan, what are you talking about?" Dom asked her. She'd wanted Jarrod to be the first to know, but she realised that he'd never listen to her. She'd need Dom to get him to believe her.

"The reason I was distant is because I had a big decision to make. Commissioner Harris offered me a job in OBPD." She informed him. She looked to Dom hopefully, taking his hand in hers, barely able to contain herself. "I accepted. I wanted to tell him on Christmas, I'm moving here to Ocean Bluff."

"Are you serious about this?" Dom asked her.

"I've never been more serious." She replied. "I love him."

A/N: Next, the promised Christmas chapter, to be posted on the day. Hope you liked this.


	26. Christmas Fury

**A/N: ** A few hours earlier than promised, here's the Christmas Chapter. Merry Christmas everyone, hope you like it.

Susan looked around in wonder as Dom led her into a clearing in the woods, finding the huge stone steps leading up impossibly high towards the plateau. She looked around for some indication of Ocean Bluff, but couldn't see anything beyond the tree line.

"How could something like this be here without anyone noticing?" She asked him, beginning to be more than a little puzzled. "This thing's bigger than Dodger's Stadium!"

"We tend the forests to ensure it's obscured from direct view." Dom informed her. "It's one of the less fun but vital tasks of the students. Other than that, there are some mystical elements of this place. It's a sacred site of spiritual importance. The spirits hold a glamour over the minds of the ignorant. Those who stumble across the site by accident quickly forget."

"So I won't remember this?" She asked him. Dom smiled at her.

"You'll remember." He told her warmly. "I invited you. Welcome to Pai Zhuq."  
She took his hand as he led her up the stairs. They looked to go on forever, but for some reason they seemed to make their way up them in no time at all. Dom saw the puzzled look on her face.

"That's another of the Ancient Master's protections." He informed her. "If you aren't worthy of entering, the staircase seems to carry on forever. If you are, then you climb their true height."

"Why are they letting me in?" She asked.

"I guess they see something in your spirit." Dominic told her. "I did too. I'm guessing Jarrod does as well. If you weren't worthy, I'd never have invited you."

"So this is all on your say so?" She asked. Dom shook his head.

"If you weren't, the spirits would never have allowed me to invite you." He stated sagely.

"Only those of worth may step through...hold on..."  
He pulled her aside as the head of a stone statue rolled down the stairs past them. He looked to her and smiled.

"My baby brother has a bit of a temper." He informed her. "Like I said, only those who are worthy can step through the gates. Those who aren't will not even remember seeing the temple."

They both came to the top of the stairs, entering through the gateway, finding Jarrod working through some exercises. He seemed to be working on destruction techniques, given the number of wooden and stone debris littering the area. One or two of the statues in the main courtyard also seemed to be missing body parts. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out why he was angry. She screamed aloud as he slammed a glowing fist into another statue, causing it to crumble into nothing and sending its head flying. It came to rest a little by Susan's feet.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." She greeted him. Dom retreated a little onto the stairs out of sight, though far enough not to be seen. He wanted to be there if things didn't go well, but he wanted to give Jarrod and Susan the chance to sort this out themselves. "You have impressive power there."

"It's all in technique." He told her, turning his face from her. He didn't want her to see his tears, a combination of his sadness and his anger at the thought she would leave him. "I doubt that's why my brother bought you here."

"I saw the doctor today." She told him. "My hands are fine."

"I'm happy for you." He stated coldly, pre-empting where this was going. "I guess this saves you a postage stamp for a Dear John letter."

"Do you think that little of me?" She asked him in a barely audible whisper. "Do you really think I'd just ditch you the minute I can look after myself?"

He didn't answer. He couldn't answer that one. Saying it out loud like that, it didn't sound like something she'd do, but it all made so much sense.

"Your life's in San Francisco." He sighed. "I've been kidding myself. I know there's a spark between us, but it's a holiday romance. You were always going to go back home. I was an idiot for getting in so deep."

"Jarrod..."

"Susan, I love you!" He interrupted her, rounding on her, showing his tears. "I have for a while now, but I know I have nothing to offer you. You can do better than me."

"Don't you think that's my choice to make?" She asked him. "Jarrod, the reason I was distant yesterday was because I had a big decision to make."

She sat down on some steps, gesturing for him to sit with her.

"Ever since dad died, I've put on a strong front, but the fact is I've clung to everything I still have desperately. I've always clung to my family; I was so afraid that if they were out of my sight I'd lose them." She began to explain. "I was heartbroken when Casey left San Fran. It was one of the worst days of my life after losing dad."

She took one of Jarrod's hands and held it tightly.

"Jarrod, when I went to the academy; that was the first time I'd left home. When I got an apartment, I made sure I was nearby so that I could keep them close to me."  
She looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he'd understand.

"Jarrod, I haven't lived more than five blocks from my mom and my sister since the day I was born." She told him honestly. "I just had a lot to think about."

"I know how important you are to your family. Casey talked about you, Michelle and Mrs. Rhodes all the time. I know..."

"Jarrod just let me finish." She interrupted him. "I was offered a job here in Ocean Bluff. I've been waiting on a vacant Lieutenant's position for months, but I was afraid to leave everything behind."

"I understand." Jarrod sighed, putting an arm around her. "I know you have to stay..."

"Jarrod, I accepted." She interrupted him. Jarrod looked at her a little amazed as she turned to face him. "I'm staying."

"You're staying?" He asked her in a gasp, barely able to believe what was happening.

"I talked to Casey and I talked to mom and Chelle. They all convinced me that this was the best thing. I'm scared, but they all made me realise that this is the best thing for me." She told him, placing her hand on his neck and smiling at him as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I know there's some stuff we'll need to face, but there's one thing that I know."

She pulled him into a long, passionate kiss, before pulling away a little, pressing her forehead to his and looking into his eyes. "I love you."

Jarrod didn't need another invitation. He kissed her again, softly and gently, before grabbing her in an enthusiastic hug.

"Ow ow ow ow!" She called out as he released her.

"Oh, right, the ribs." He remarked, realising his mistake. "Are you OK?"

"I sure am." She replied. "Now, I believe there's a party we're missing."

"I wasn't in the mood." He laughed, gesturing to the detritus littering the courtyard where he'd been having his slightly childish temper tantrum.

"And now?" She asked.

"With you, I'll always be in the mood for a celebration." He said, stroking her hair. "We'll be back in time for the after party." He raised his voice, well aware of the fact Dom was there and was listening. "Unless we have a ride!"

"I have the van at the edge of the forest." Dom stated as he came into the courtyard, that stupid goofy grin on his face that Jarrod hated because he knew that he'd want all the details. "We'll be back soon."

Back at JKP, things were in full swing. RJ had since quit the table with Lily and Camille in favour of tending the kitchen to help maintain the orders. Jarrod, Dom and Susan arrived back. Lily saw Jarrod and Susan in each other's arms and smiled. Dom came over to them.

"Sorry I ditched, I had to sort out some family business." He told her.

"No worries, I wanted Jarrod to be here." She replied. "I wanted all of you here."

"Why didn't he come earlier?" Camille asked in response.

"I can't say too much." Dom replied with a knowing smile, seeing Gabby taking a breather by the counter. "I'll let them explain. Now, if you don't mind?"

"Young love!" Lily and Camille chimed together, watching him run off. RJ eventually came out of the kitchen, climbing onto a stool and then onto the counter, carrying a microphone.

"Speech!" One of the customers called out, pointing towards him. At that point, they all turned and started pointing, yelling "Speech! Speech!"

RJ gestured them all to calm down, smiling as he looked out over them. This was far more than he had ever hoped for in his life. He found it hard to think. He was pulling out a piece of paper, before throwing it aside. It wasn't right. This needed to come from the heart.

"I just wanted to say that I love that you've all come here today." He announced, gathering his thoughts. "When I opened JKP, close to two years ago, all I heard was one thing. You'll be broke inside two years. Well I'm not, and all that's down to all of you."

The crowd cheered for a while, before dying down at his gesture.

"I've been a chef now for a long time, and I always wanted to own and run my own restaurant. I was fortunate that a good man believed in me and leant me the money, and so to him I will always be grateful. Andrew, you know I'll always be grateful!"

The crowd cheered and clapped at his speech. His eyes locked with his lovely wife's and he smiled, knowing he had so much more to say.

"I'm also grateful for the people I've met." He continued. "Fran, you've been here every day since I opened, either as a customer or as an employee. You're more than a friend, you're family. You were the first to comfort me when I managed to burn down my kitchen, you were there when I made my first profit, and indeed, you've been there to, sometimes quite literally, slap some good sense into me. I can never repay everything you've done for me, Thank you."

Theo held Fran as she became a little emotional, blushing and wiping away some tears as the customers cheered her. RJ looked around.

"Casey, Theo, Dom. The three of you have guided me through some seriously rough times. You guys are seriously all anyone could want in friends. If it wasn't for you, I'd never have gone on this long, so thank you to all of you."

As the customers applauded, his eyes turned again to Lily. He gestured to her and for the crowd to part. She made her way nervously to the counter, where he kneeled down to be closer to her.

"I also met Lily here." He stated. "She is an amazing, courageous, compassionate and beautiful young woman who changed my life." He gave her his hand to hold, smiling at her. "When I opened this place nearly two years ago, all I wanted was a way to pay bills and live my life, and I've gotten so much more. If anyone had told me this time a year ago I'd be looking at expanding, I'd have thought they were insane. The thing is, there are more important things in life, and Lily has given me that." He gestured for her to get up on the counter. The others gathered around as if to catch her, RJ just laughed.

"OK, I know I've been crazy about her lately." He laughed, before turning to her. "But I'll always be crazy about you. Lily, I love you." He turned back to the crowd. "Merry Christmas!"

He kissed her as the crowd cheered and the music began again. He hopped off the counter, coming over to the table.

"Jarrod, I didn't see you earlier." RJ commented. "Where were you?"

"I was feeling sorry for myself." He replied, holding Susan closely. "But Susan straightened me out. She gave me my Christmas present a little early."

"I was offered a job here." She informed him, smiling broadly. "You're looking at the newest Lieutenant of OBPD!"

"Well that's amazing news! Congratulations!" He yelled excitedly, shaking her hand. "I'm sure Casey will be thrilled."

"He was." She told him. "He, mom and Chelle talked me into accepting the position. I took some convincing, but eventually they convinced me to come here."

"Well it's always hard to leave home." RJ agreed. "Now, I need to go and mingle, a lot of people are calling me. I'll leave you two to it."

He crossed the room, exchanging pleasantries, shaking hands and giving hugs to numerous long-term customers, before coming to Casey.

"Susan told me the news." He addressed his student. "She also told me you talked her into staying."

"She's my big sister." He answered. "It's a great opportunity, who knows when another Lieutenant's position might come up?"

"You know what I'm talking about." RJ answered, looking into his eyes. "I know you weren't thrilled when she started dating Jarrod. I know you want to look out for her. I know you probably figured that she and Jarrod would drift apart if she went back. I would have understood if you encouraged her to go back."

"But..." RJ held up his hand stopping Casey, he had more to say.

"You really looked out for her. I'm proud of you." RJ told him warmly. "You've grown up a lot."

"Impending fatherhood does that to you." He remarked, taking a breath. "I'm still not cool with Jarrod and Susan, but I know that he's making her happy, and I know she's wanted this promotion for a while."

"Well that's not the main thing." RJ commented, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you'd prefer it if they stopped seeing each other. For what it's worth, I think it's good for both of them."

"I know I can't stop her." He sighed, looking over to where Jarrod and his sister were talking and laughing together. "I know he won't hurt her intentionally, but I can't help being scared for her. She's my sister. I just know that she's happier now than I've seen her in a long time. That's what's important to me. We all knew she needed to go out on her own, I'm grateful to Jarrod for giving her that courage, but I still worry."

"You always will." RJ told him. "I wish I could tell you that Susan will never be hurt, but I can't. I don't know what will happen between them either, but it's her choice, and now you're able to let her make it. It shows a lot of growth, I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of her." Casey remarked, looking over to Susan once more. "I'm sure she's making the best move for her."

"Well that's why I know you've grown." RJ stated. "You were thinking of her when you talked her into staying."

"Thanks RJ." Casey said softly as he hugged his former master. "Your opinion means a lot to me."

"Well I know you'll be a great dad." RJ told him as they separated. "You only have about a month left until you get to impart that wisdom. I'm sure you and Camille are ready."  
With that, they parted to continue the celebration.

A few days later, RJ woke up, finding Lily sitting on the end of the bed, cradling her stomach. He came over behind her, pulling her hair aside and kissed her neck.

"Merry Christmas Lily." He whispered gently, nibbling her earlobe. "You know, it'll be a while before Susan's awake and the others come around..."

"RJ!" She interrupted him, pulling his hand down, placing it on her belly. He smiled as he felt a gentle kick. "I wanted to wake you. The baby's moving."

"That's our baby!" He laughed nervously, a smile splitting his face as he looked into the eyes of his beautiful wife. "That's our baby! He's moving!"

"Your child wanted to wish you Merry Christmas RJ." She replied, kissing him passionately. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Lily." He replied. "Now, I guess..."

"RJ, get your ass out here!" Casey called in, knocking his door. "We're all waiting!"

They never bothered with a shower, just pulling on the first outfits they could find, before coming out, finding Flit, Dom, Fran, Casey, Camille and Theo waiting there.

"You know some people respect privacy." He laughed. "You could have waited until we invited you in."

"It's Christmas, and we still have keys." Casey reminded him, coming to his side.

"Where's Jarrod?" RJ asked, noting that he was the only one missing from the group.

"I'm not sure; he must have gotten up early for his run." Dom stated with a shrug. "I'm sure he'll be along later.

"Well, it's him that's missing out." Casey remarked. "Now, let's get this party started..."

"I think it's starting already." Camille grunted with a pained expression on her face, cradling her stomach and finding a place to sit. "Casey, I think the baby's coming!"

"Camille, you had a false alarm last week." He reminded her gently. "I'm sure..."

His words were cut off and they all recoiled as they saw what happened next.

"OK, I'm out of practice, but I'd say her waters just broke." Flit rushed out. "RJ, call an ambulance. Casey, hold her hand.

Casey grabbed his wife's hand, looking into her face.

"Camille, just breathe, we're getting you help!" He assured her, stroking her hair gently. "Things will be fine, I promise..."

"Forget the ambulance!" RJ snapped, hanging up the phone as he looked at Camille. "It won't be here in time. I'll get you there."

With that, they all filed out of the apartment, getting into the assorted vehicles and making their way to the hospital. Susan poked her head out of her bedroom door.

"Is anyone here?" She asked, realising that the place was unnaturally quiet. "RJ? Lily?"

She looked around, realising no one else was there. It was odd, she could swear she had heard voices, at least one of them Casey's. She stepped into the main room, a sheet wrapped around her to cover her modesty as she looked around quizzically.

"Where is everyone?" She pondered. Jarrod walked out of the bedroom in his boxer shorts, looking around nervously for Casey, realising he wasn't there. He wrapped his arms around Susan.

"I have no idea." He commented softly. "I was sure I heard Casey."

"So did I." Susan commented with a shrug.

"Now that was a little close for comfort." Jarrod breathed a sigh of relief. Susan giggled and kissing him.

"Is the big brave lion scared of my baby brother?" She teased him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Not exactly." He replied. "But even you have to admit that this isn't a conversation we would want to have with him."

"Well if you're that nervous, maybe you should go and put on some pants." She suggested. "I'll see you after my shower."

Jarrod watched her go, thankful that they were wrong about Casey being in the apartment. As much as he loved her, and as much as he knew Casey was cool with them dating, he was sure that he'd have something to say about seeing them both coming out of her bedroom half naked.

Casey paced nervously in the hall as the others watched him. Since she was premature, the doctors hadn't allowed Casey into the room as they worked with Camille. RJ eventually got up and stopped him.

"Calm down, things will be fine." He assured him. "Camille's tough. It'll take more than the baby coming a little early to make a difference."

Casey rang his hands through his hair nervously as he awaited word on what was happening.

"Casey, everything will be cool." Theo told him warmly. "You'll..."

At that point, a doctor came out of the room, pulling off his gloves and smiled.

"Both mother and child are fine." He assured Casey, seeing the panicked expression on his face and instantly realising this was the father. "Would you like to see the baby?"

The young Tiger Master just nodded and followed him into the room. There, he found Camille holding a bundle wrapped in a blanket. She was sweating badly, her hair was a mess, and she looked completely exhausted, but at that moment she had never looked more beautiful to her husband. He kissed her passionately.

"I'd like you to meet someone special." She whispered. "I'd like you to meet your daughter."  
He looked down into the bundle, seeing a tiny, pink face in there. She was sleeping, but almost on cue, her eyes opened, looking up at her father. He laughed nervously as he took her in his arms and picked her up.

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He gasped, looking at her. "She's amazing."

"She was born on Christmas day." Camille reminded him. "I was thinking of calling her Holly."

"I like that." Casey exhaled, still completely enthralled by his new daughter. "Holly."  
A few moments later, the others were allowed to enter the room. Casey smiled and turned to face them.

"I'd like you all to meet my daughter." He said with a childish enthusiasm. "I'd like you to meet Holly Rhodes."

They all gather around, looking to her. Casey handed her to Lily, allowing her to hold her as he pulled out his cell phone and hit his speed dial.

"Mom?" He asked as she answered. "I just wanted you to know that now you're a grandma."

"That's wonderful news Casey!" She shrieked, before pulling the phone away. He knew they were most likely still on the plane. He could imagine his mom shaking Michelle awake and informing her that the baby had been born. "How is everyone?"

"Camille's tired and sore, but she's fine." He informed her. "It's a baby girl, we're calling her Holly."

"8lbs 3oz." Camille informed him.

"8 lbs 3oz." He relayed the information to his mother. "She's beautiful mom, she really is."

"I'm sure we'll see her in good time dear." She assured him. "We'll get ourselves over to the restaurant from the airport; just you stay and take care of your family."

"I intend to mom." He assured her as he saw the girls gathering around, cooing over the little girl fondly. "I'll see you soon."

"We'll be there when you get back." Mrs. Rhodes told him. "I love you."

"I love you too mom." He replied, hanging up.

Meanwhile, back at JKP, Master Phant and Master Swoop were struggling to pull the first of Master Finn's gifts out the back of the van.

"You know you could have warned us it would be this much hassle." Phant grumbled.

"Did you have to assemble them at the workshop?" Swoop asked him.

"How would I look offering the young families flat pack Christmas presents?" He asked them. "I'm sure we can get some help."

"You know Casey and Camille will still have to get theirs back to their own apartment." Swoop reminded him. "Anyway, why are three old men doing this? I'm sure there're a bunch of strong, fit young men inside."

Finn just laughed and made his way to the door, ringing the bell.

In the apartment, Susan got up from the couch where she was sitting with Jarrod, exchanging small talk, and made her way to the window, looking down.

"Who is it?" She called down, straining to see who was there.

"It's Santa Claus!" Finn yelled up excitedly. "And his grumpy little elves. Would you mind helping us in with these?"

She was about to go downstairs, when Jarrod stopped her.

"Your ribs!" He reminded her.

"You can help them." She told him. Jarrod just gave her a little look. If they arrived and he was there, then they'd be asking why he was there when no one else was.

"Stall them a little." Jarrod told her, slipping out the fire-escape out the back. Susan came down and opened the front door.

"Hi there, it's great to see you all again." She greeted them. "I'm afraid I'm the only one here."

"Where is everyone?" Finn asked her. Susan just shrugged.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. "When I woke up everyone was gone. The painkillers kind of knock me for a loop."

"Oh well, I guess we're still doing this by ourselves." Phant sighed, helping Swoop with the first of the gifts. Jarrod ran down the street, arriving a short time later. Obviously he'd done a circuit of the block to make it seem like he had just arrived.

"Merry Christmas." He greeted them all, before gesturing to the large gifts. "Aren't the others helping you?"

"Apparently no one else is here." Finn said, exchanging a little glance with Phant. "Could you give us a hand?"

"No problem." He answered, taking one of the items and carrying it inside. Susan stood, holding the door and watched him go inside as Finn and Swoop took the other one. Arriving in the back room, Jarrod put down the present, noticeably relieved.

"What are these things?" He asked, wiping his forehead. "This thing weighs a ton."

"You'll find out when the others get back." Finn stated. "So, wasn't it a little cold getting here without a jacket?"

"Pardon?" Jarrod asked, before looking down and realising he wasn't wearing a jacket. Master Phant sat down on the couch, picking up the jacket there.

"This is yours isn't it?" H asked Jarrod. He turned a little pink and tried to stammer out a response.

"Are you always so articulate?" Swoop teased him. Standing close to Susan, he could hear a subtle change in her heartbeat and smiled. Susan and Jarrod looked to each other and around the room awkwardly. They'd been busted, and they knew it.

"Hey, Dad, Merry Christmas!" RJ greeted Master Finn as the party arrived back, minus Casey, Camille and the baby of course. "Sorry we weren't here."

"Don't worry about it; Jarrod and Susan were keeping us entertained." Master Phant stated with a slightly mischievous, knowing wink to Jarrod, making him a little uncomfortable. "He helped us in with the Christmas presents."

"Where's Casey?" Master Finn asked.

"Yeah, where did you all go?" Susan asked them. "I woke up and the place was empty."

"We had to get Camille to the hospital." Lily informed them with a bright smile. "Congratulations Aunt Susan."

"You're kidding right? She had the baby?" Susan gushed, her face lighting up at the news. "That's amazing! What did she have?"

"They had a baby girl, weighing 8lbs 3oz." Fran said dreamily, remembering the events of the day. "She's so cute and adorable and…"

"Breathe Fran." Theo implored her. "Both Camille and Holly are fine."

"So, I take it this is what you've been working on." RJ remarked, looking at the large gifts sitting in the centre of the room.

"It is indeed." Master Finn stated proudly, placing a hand on one of them. "This one's for you and Lily, Merry Christmas son."

Lily approached the gift with RJ, pondering it for a second. A little wordless glance between them was all it took for them to make the decision. They began carefully unwrapping it, stepping back and marvelling at the gift inside.

It was an expertly hand-crafted crib, made of dark mahogany, and carved by hand. The spindles were all hand-turned to precision, and the head board was carved with a variety of animal images.

"I put in the animal spirits of the baby's lineage." He informed them, pointing to each of the carvings in turn. "Up here is my shark, and your mother's penguin. Over here, Michael's Mandrill, and finally your wolf and Lily's cheetah, all watching over the little one."

"It's amazing." Lily said in a barely audible whisper, her mouth hanging open in awe. "This is fantastic, thank you!"

"It was a pleasure." Master Finn told them. "The other one's for Casey and Camille, but I guess they'll be getting use out of it a little earlier than expected."

"This is just great, thanks dad." RJ breathed, holding him in a warm hug. "This really is great."

Just then, Mrs. Rhodes and Michelle arrived, making their way inside, and coming to Susan's side.

"So baby brother did well huh?" Michelle greeted her twin sister, holding her gently.

"I haven't seen her yet unfortunately." She sighed. "It all happened while I was asleep."

"Trust you to sleep through your niece being born." Mrs. Rhodes chastised her daughter. "Well we've brought down most of your stuff, the rest we can mail on later."

"Yeah, we know you've wanted this promotion for a while." Michelle reassured her. "We know you're doing the right thing."

"I was just a little nervous." Susan reassured them. "I've never really left the city."

"Well you'll be just fine." Mrs. Rhodes told her proudly. "Ocean Bluff's lucky to have another Rhodes in town."

"I'm looking forward to it." She told them. "I should be getting the all clear a little after New Year, and then I can go to work."

"Well just you make sure you aren't a stranger." Mrs. Rhodes warned her. "And don't think you'll get rid of us that easily. I intend to see my Granddaughter as often as I can."

"I'd like that." Susan commented, looking over the group as they huddled around, discussing the events of the day. "Family's important."

With that, she made her way to Jarrod's side, holding him closely and gesturing for her mother and sister to join in as they celebrated. Family was important, and that's what they all were, family.


	27. New Year Fast Approaching

A couple of days later, Casey woke up, feeling that this was a lot more like Christmas than the actual day had been. As much as he was thrilled that his lovely daughter had been born, and despite the fact that the party had been in full swing by the time he'd arrived, he couldn't just sit with his daughter and his wife in all that time. Since Holly was a little premature, they'd wanted to keep her in for observation. Camille had, needless to say, insisted on staying with her, and so he'd had to make do with visits.

Now though was the day he'd been looking forward to. This was the day that Holly would be medically cleared to go home with them. Not even the fact that the toaster had died on him, forcing him to make do with cereal could take the gleeful smile from his face. He dressed quickly, and with little care in his excitement. He heard the door buzzer, and hit the intercom, letting the visitor in.

Theo arrived up in the apartment, finding Casey rushing around frantically searching for all his things as he prepared to make his way to the car.

"Chill out, the hospital's not going anywhere." Theo joked as he grabbed his friend's shoulders, trying to calm him down. "You aren't going to get them home before the doctor examines them anyway. Just sit down and breathe."

Casey took a seat on the couch and took a deep breath. Theo had taken a full-day shift at the gym to allow Casey to go and collect his wife and his daughter. Casey ran a hand through his messy, uncombed hair.

"Sorry, I just can't wait to get them home." He sighed, looking over to the empty crib Master Finn had since brought over to their place. "It's been killing me not having them here. I know it's only been couple of days, but I just want them with me. I just want Holly here where I can be with her."

"You're really taken with your little girl aren't you?" He chuckled, seeing the expression on Casey's face. "Fran's pretty warm and fuzzy about her too. She won't shut up about how cute she is."

"Something tells me you can expect a big talk in the near future." Casey remarked, seeing a slightly worried look on Theo's face. "Are you looking forward to that little chat?"

"I want kids at some point, but I'm just not sure now's the right time." Theo replied sadly. "I'm not saying it'll never happen, but I'm working two jobs as it is s that Fran can study to get her teaching qualifications. I'd just like for her to get through that and get settled into a job she likes before we worry about that."

"Have you told Fran this?" Casey asked him. Theo shook his head and looked down to the floor.

"We've talked a little about kids, nothing serious, but I'm beginning to get a little worried now." He admitted, fidgeting nervously. "She's started talking about it a lot more since Holly was born. I just don't want her to go into anything too soon. I don't want us to be one of those families that struggles and worries about money all the time. I want us to be a little more settled before we bring kids into the mix."

"Well like RJ says, I doubt anyone is ever ready for kids." Casey told him sagely. "Look at me, I'm about to chauffeur my daughter home for the first time and I'm still tearing my hair out in worry."

"Well you could have put in a little more effort I suppose." Theo responded, crossing over o he crib and looking over it. "Just think. Not even two hours from now, Holly will be in this crib."

"I know I'm psyched by the thought too." Casey told him, looking down into it. "I mean, I'm still blown away any time I see her."

"Anyway, don't worry about a thing; I'll take your classes." Theo assured him. "You just enjoy going to see that daughter of yours."

"Thanks for that Theo, It means a lot." Casey told him. "So has Master Phant talked to you any further?"

"I'm still not sure this is the best time." Theo stated flatly. "Fran has a lot on her plate at the moment. She's got all those exams coming up and…"

"Master Phant wouldn't have suggested it if he wasn't sure." Casey said soothingly, putting a hand on Theo's shoulder. "Fran's doing great, you should be proud…"

"If we wait until the next opportunity, then she'll still be ready, she just won't have as much other stuff to worry about." He explained. "I'm sure one more moon cycle won't make a difference."

"Well, you can always relay your fears to Master Phant." Casey suggested. "Of course you know how seriously he takes the Trial. If he thinks she's ready, then he'll be pretty hard to convince."

"I know it's just that Fran's doing so well. I don't want her to risk messing everything up." Theo continued on his protest. "This is the first chance she's had to go to college. I really want everything to go well for her."

"The last time I checked she was doing just fine." Casey reminded him. "She only needs a few more grade points to graduate...a year EARLY!"

"I guess that's true." Theo conceded as he ran his hand across the carving on the headboard of the crib. "I just know how rough our trials were on us."

"You'll always be worried about her." Casey assured him. "She's ready; you know yourself how strong she is."

"I guess you're right." He replied. "I guess I'm just nervous. I mean, I'm a master now. Only Lily will be exempt from the selection because of the baby. What if I'm chosen to test her?"

Casey could understand Theo's worry about this point. He knew it would be tough enough if he was chosen to oversee Fran's trial, she was his friend. He didn't want to put her through that particular ordeal. Of course for Theo it would be a lot worse. If nothing else, the final stage of the trial was a full contact battle with the Master overseeing the trial. There was no way he'd want to fight his wife.

"That's strange." Theo commented, pointing to the carving on the headboard of the crib. "I thought Master Finn carved the animal spirits of the baby's lineage onto the crib to watch over it.

"He did." Casey replied, furrowing his brow slightly.

"So why are there two tigers?" He asked.

Casey looked to the carving and confirmed that Theo was right. He could see his own tiger, and Camille's chameleon carved into the wood, but over that was another tiger.

"That's weird." Casey commented. "Oh well, I guess I can ask him about it later. Right now, I have a couple of ladies to pick up from the hospital. I'll see you later."

Theo watched him go, before heading down to open the gym. He still wasn't sure about Fran's trial, but at least now he had something to look forward to. Casey's mom and Michelle had come through from San Fran for Christmas and New Year, and he had promised to take the baby to JKP to let them see her. They were all likely to be there for Holly's arrival, and he was looking forward to seeing them all.

Casey arrived at the hospital, finding Camille dressed and packed, ready for him as the doctor finished checking her over. He finally satisfied himself, gently touching the baby's head after checking her breathing.

"She's perfectly healthy." He confirmed, greeting Casey warmly. "It looks like she's perfectly fine. I'll get admin to send you an appointment card for her first check up."

"She was really hungry." Camille told him with a little smile, picking her daughter up. "She's got an appetite like her dad's."

"Well that isn't necessarily a bad thing." Casey responded, kissing Holly's forehead, before kissing his wife. The little girl stirred a little at his gentle touch, before returning to her slumber. He marvelled at the little girl in Camille's arms. She really was his, his heart swelled just looking at her. "She's beautiful."

"I guess she takes her looks from me then." Camille sniggered. Casey just laughed in response.

"I guess that's a good thing." He replied, gesturing to the door. "Now, let's get going. Mom will never forgive me if we keep her waiting."

"I guess he should meet Grandma and his aunties." She said gently. "OK, which way to the car?"

With that, they made their way out of the hospital, taking their little girl to meet the rest of her family for the first time.

Meanwhile, Dominic made his way through the temple, searching for his brother. It shouldn't have been hard, all the students had been sent home for the holidays, and so they had the place to themselves. However, having searched the library, the main temple, the main courtyard and the dojo, he was still no closer to figuring out where Jarrod was.

"Jarrod, it's nearly time to go and see the baby!" He called out again, his frustration beginning to build. "Come on, where the hell are you?"

He finally made his way towards Jarrod's living quarters, seeing a light glowing through the shutters. He made his way over to the cabin, pounding on the shutters.

"Come on Jarrod, we've got to go!" He called out, his patience wearing thin. Jarrod stumbled out of the cabin, hastily pulling on a shirt.

"Dom, what's with all the yelling?" He asked a little aggressively, gesturing to his shutters. "I'm not deaf!"

"No, you're just forgetful." Dom replied sharply. "Casey's bringing the baby home, and he wants all of us there. How do you think Susan would feel if…."

His words tailed off as Susan appeared at the door, sheepishly fixing her hair. The three of them stood in awkward silence for a few minutes as the scene unfolded. It wasn't exactly a comfortable situation for any of them to be in.

"Like I said, we should get there soon, or Casey's going to think we've ditched him." Dom stated. "We wouldn't want to disappoint him would we?"

Susan looked to her feet a little nervously. As Holly's aunt, she knew she would be getting some serious flak from Casey if she didn't put in an appearance. Of course, she was also sure that Dom would have something to say, since this was now the second time she and Jarrod had been caught in a compromising position.

"Sure, ummm…just call a taxi to pick us up at the edge of the woods. We'll be along shortly." Jarrod rushed out, his face flashing red. Dom just shook his head and muttered as he was walking away. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time this had happened within the temple, but he knew that Jarrod was playing with fire. He also worried about him. He knew he and Susan cared about each other, but he was a little concerned that things might be moving just a little too quickly.

His thoughts turned to Gabby for a second as he made his way towards the edge of the woods, beginning to dial his phone. Although they had now been together a while, he still didn't want to push Gabby into anything. He loved her dearly, and didn't want to jeopardise anything by taking things with her too far so young. He was cool with Jarrod and Susan dating, he had been one of the ones to encourage him to give it a shot. Of course, right now, he was just a little worried that he might be getting out of his depth.

Back at JKP, RJ and Lily put the finishing touches on the layout for the party. They had spent most of the day clearing out the restaurant furniture, and shipping it into storage. To assist this, Gabby and her newfound friend from the hockey team, Mark, had managed to press-gang the rest of the team into helping them with the removals. To say they were thrilled would be an understatement. The kids had accomplished in an afternoon what they were sure paid removal men would have taken all day over, charging them an extortionate hourly rate for the privilege. All they asked for was a round of pizzas and sodas, which RJ was only too happy to provide. He had to use up the last of the ingredients from his restaurant fridges anyway.

Lily came over behind him, bouncing with excitement as she grabbed him around the waist.

"I can't wait until this all starts." She gushed emotively. "I always love New Year."

"I do too." RJ agreed, turning to face her. "We all have a lot to look forward to this year."

"Well I'm just looking forward to graduation." Gabby told them, settling down on the couch with Mark. The massive hockey player just seemed to dwarf hr as he lay back into the soft cushions. "I mean, school's not that bad, but if the colleges are HALF as good as they look in the brochures, then I'm sold."

"What about you Mark?" RJ asked him. "Are you looking to go to College?"

"I was offered a scholarship from Blue Bay Harbour." He informed them with a large grin. "It seems Coach Brooks was really impressed with the mess I made of his front line and talked the local college into offering me a scholarship. As long as all goes well in the exams, I should be moving down there in time for fall."

"I'm pleased to hear that." RJ told him. "I'm sure you and Gabby will help each other study."

"Well, there's another good thing that came out of that." He began, putting his soda down on the table. "One time mom found me in my room with Gabby studying and jumped to conclusions, so when she saw Gabby here with Dom, she rushed back to tell me she was cheating on me. I told her I knew, but she wouldn't listen to me that Gabby and I were never an item, in the end I had to tell her."

"How did that go?" Lily asked him. They all knew that Mark had kept his sexuality a secret from his parents because of his father's old-fashioned views. They knew that he had been worried about what would happen if they found out.

"Mom wasn't thrilled, but she accepted it. She says she only wants me to be happy." He informed them happily. "My dad wasn't as bad as I thought. It took him a while, but he told me we left the old Soviet Union to get away from intolerance. He doesn't quite understand my feelings, but he said that he cares about me and isn't willing to lose me to his own intolerance."

"Well I'm glad things worked out for you." Lily told him.

"Me too." Gabby chipped in, nudging him playfully. "I'm also glad you set your mom straight, she can be pretty scary. I'd hate to think what she would have done if she thought I really was cheating on you."

"Hey guys, I thought the restaurant was closed." Theo remarked as he and Fran arrived. "It looks like half the hockey team just left. We just saw them leaving."

"The whole team actually." Mark corrected him, getting up. "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. I need to stay on the guys' good books. A couple of them already think I'm a traitor for going to the Lions next season."

"Well, just win the title with them THIS year, and I'm sure all will be forgiven." Gabby stated with authority. "Besides, they'll all be going to collages right across the country. It's doubtful many of them will stay on the team."

"I know that, but it's a 'play for the jersey' kind of thing." Mark reminded her as he pulled on his jacket. "Remember that Wayne Gretzky received death threats when he left the Edmonton Oilers. Anyway, I'll see you later in the week. Happy new year guys!"

As he left, Jarrod, Dom and Susan arrived, coming into the room just as Mrs. Rhodes and Michelle came in, carrying some bottles of wine.

"You're cutting it a bit close aren't you?" Mrs. Rhodes scolded her daughter. "Casey picked them up this morning. They only took her back to their apartment to gather her things, you almost missed her!"

"Sorry mom." She replied sheepishly as Jarrod held her gently. "Jarrod was showing me the temple. He told me he's going to train me when I've fully healed."

Dom just rolled his eyes as she said this. He had no doubt that Jarrod would want to train her, he had mentioned that she had stopped training a long time ago, and since she could bypass the protective glamours surrounding the temple, the spirits clearly deemed her worthy. Of course it was a little uncomfortable for him that she'd revealed she'd been to the temple. He didn't want to have to answer too many questions in case that little subject ended up coming up.

"Well you're in good time sis." Michelle called over, coming away from one of the windows. "It looks like our baby brother's just arriving."

As they all filed towards the door to greet the new arrival, Dominic caught Jarrod's eye in a hard glare. Jarrod knew he wanted to talk, and could guess what it was about. Casey came into the room first, carrying a tightly-wrapped bundle in his arms. He came over, pulling back the red blanket and presenting Holly's little pink face to his mother and his sisters.

"This is Holly." He introduced them. His mother reached out, gently taking her from Casey so gently that she never even stirred from her sleep. She looked down into the face in wonder, beholding her first Grandchild.

"She's beautiful." She responded, nodding to Camille with a warm smile. "You did great. Welcome to motherhood."

"I'm still getting over the first part." She chuckled wearily. "Does it get any easier?"

"Well you've met Casey, so you should already know the answer to that." Mrs Rhodes replied with a wink.

"OK, I guess that's a no then." She answered.

"Hey!" Casey gasped quietly so as not to wake Holly. He'd only had her out of the hospital a few hours, but he was already aware how healthy a set of lungs his little girl had.

"Oh, she's so cute!" Michelle gushed as she fawned over her little niece. "You're so lucky Casey. You did really great."

"Well I'm happy." He replied, taking him back off his mother. "RJ, do you mind if we put her down?"

"Not at all, go right ahead." He replied, gesturing to the room he'd set aside for the crib Master Finn had made for their baby. Casey left to lay her down, as the others gathered in the main room. Dom took this as his opportunity, tapping his brother on the shoulder, before glancing at the door. Jarrod got up and left with him, realising that his big brother was about to give him a serious talking to.

Outside, Dom pulled him aside.

"Look, I know what you're going to say..."

"Are you OK?" Dom asked him. Jarrod just looked at him a little puzzled.

"I'm fine." He replied. "I thought we were going to talk about..."

"We are talking about that." Dom interrupted him. "Look, I really don't appreciate the position you've put me in. You know Casey would freak if he knew about this. You've left me in an awkward position, what am I meant to do if Casey starts asking questions about what Susan was doing at the temple? Lie to him? You know I'm not down with that."

"I guess we should be a little more subtle." Jarrod replied, conceding the point.

"It's not just that." Dom told him, gesturing for him to sit on the steps with him. "I'm worried about you."

"In case you haven't noticed I'm a big boy." Jarrod replied coldly, crossing his arms defensively in front of him.

"So was I when I...you know..." Dominic told him. "It doesn't mean to say I don't wish I'd waited."

"What are you talking about?" Jarrod asked him.

"You and Susan have only been going out for a couple of weeks now." Dominic reminded him. "I don't doubt how you feel about her, but this is a pretty big step, one that's not to be taken lightly." He placed a hand on Jarrod's shoulder.

"I know that, it's..." Jarrod thought back to what had happened between them and let out a long sigh. "She's older than me and she's been through this before. I didn't want her to think of me as a kid."

"It wasn't your idea?" Dom asked him, shifting his arm around Jarrod's shoulders. Jarrod shook his head.

"There wasn't really much thought in it at all." He admitted. "We'd just had that big talk at the temple. Then after the party, we found ourselves alone. We got to talking, and then things just...happened. Before I knew what was going on, I was waking up beside her in her bed."

"My first time was a little like that." Dom recalled, looking into the sky. "It was a girl I'd been with for a few days in Amsterdam. She was great; she was funny, beautiful, smart..."

"What happened?" Jarrod asked him.

"It meant a lot more to me than it did to her." Dom informed him. "We had a few drinks and ended up back at her place. By the time I woke up, she gave me a cell phone number and left. It turned out the number was a fake."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jarrod replied warmly, feeling the sincerity in his brother's words. "That must have really hurt."

"It did. It was a long time before I got over that." He told him. "I'm not saying Susan will do the same, I know she won't. She moved to Ocean Bluff to be with you. It's just...Even without the betrayal, I always felt like I should have waited. Looking back, the thing that was worst about the whole incident was that I didn't wait until I was sure. I always felt like I missed out as a result."

Jarrod felt his chest go a little cold as he heard this. He had to admit that he didn't really plan what happened between him and Susan in the apartment, or in the living quarters of the temple. Thinking about it now, he could see what Dom meant. It wasn't an ideal situation. He had loved what they had shared together, but it just wasn't what he had imagined.

"I don't want to mess up what you have with her, she makes you happy." Dom assured him, looking into his eyes sincerely. "I just...I don't want you to do anything that's going to end in tears...either of you."

"I just didn't want to disappoint her." He mumbled, thinking about what had been said. "I guess I need to talk to Susan."

"That would probably be a good idea." Dom agreed. "You know there are still a few hours of this year left. Don't you think it would be a good idea to start the New Year with a clean slate?"

"I don't want to risk losing her now." Jarrod told him. "But I guess if I let this thing slide, it'll only get in the way further down the line."

With that, the two brothers stood back up and went inside.

By the time they came back, the Masters had arrived and were joining the celebrations. Jarrod gestured to Susan that he wanted to see her outside and left the room. Master Finn crossed over to Camille, kissing her on the cheek.

"You look wonderful, congratulations." He greeted her. "I guess the little one's sleeping right now."

"She is." Camille replied. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to see her later."

"Well enjoy the times she's asleep." Master Finn told her sagely. "I remember all too well how tiring it was taking care of RJ when he was a baby."

"Dad, seriously do you have to?" He complained out loud as a few laughs at his expense were raised.

"Oh embarrassing your kids as adults is half the fun of having them." Mrs. Rhodes stated. "I still enjoy torturing my three."

Outside, one of those three was sitting with Jarrod as he was sorting through his thoughts, trying to figure out what he planned to say.

"Susan, I wanted to talk to you." He began, stroking his neck as he felt his muscles tighten. His throat threatened to close up and he began trembling. He was so scared of blowing it with her, he half thought about backing out, but he knew that he couldn't. "It's about what happened between us here the other day."

Susan's face dropped as she heard this. She'd always feared that things might not work out between her and Jarrod, but she would never have expected things to go sour so quickly.

"What?" She asked nervously, her lip beginning to quiver. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She wrapped her arms around herself as though somehow hoping that it would cushion the blow to her heart as he said the words she feared the most.

"Susan, I think we should take things a little more slowly." Jarrod told her.

"I understand." She murmured, looking away. She knew it was only a matter of time before her tears began. "I should have known this wouldn't last."

Jarrod furrowed his brows and took one of her hands softly. "You think I'm breaking up with you?" He asked her.

"It wouldn't be the first time." She sighed.

"Susan, I just want to take things a little slower." He told her. "Look, what happened. For me it was..."

"You didn't enjoy it?" She asked him nervously.

"No, it isn't that. I loved what we shared together." He told her. "It's just, it was my...you know...my first."

"Seriously?" She asked him. Jarrod nodded in response. "You're a quick learner."

"Susan, I know you're more experienced than I am with this." He continued. "I kind of feel like I rushed into this, and I don't want to feel like that with you. I want us to do things properly. I kind of feel like that time and last night, well, I feel like they just kind of happened. I don't want that. I want to feel like its right. Like it's something I do because I love you and want to show you how much. Do you understand?"

"I do." She replied softly, squeezing his hand gently. "I wouldn't want to push you any further than you're willing to go. The thing is it just...happened...for me too."

"It did?" Jarrod asked her.

"I don't regret it; it's just that...I had a bad experience before. I thought you wanted it and I didn't want to disappoint you." She explained to him. "I didn't want to disappoint you, so when things started, I just kind of went along with it."

"We really should have talked about this." Jarrod replied. "What happened? If you don't mind me asking?"

"It was back at the academy. I was still just a rookie. One of the senior cadets invited me to the graduation ball." She recalled. "We had a few drinks. I admit that I'd had a crush on him for ages. He took me back to his room, and it just kind of happened. Of course he didn't bother to tell me that he'd already been assigned to New York. He left without saying anything. I heard the following week he'd left. It broke my heart."

"I really wish that hadn't happened." Jarrod told her.

"So do I." She answered. "I felt so bad about myself for so long. It took me a long time to trust guys again. I haven't...been with...anyone since then until you."

"So are we cool to take things a little more slowly?" Jarrod asked her. Susan smiled at him and pulled him into a long kiss.

"I'd really like that." She told him.

Later in the evening, Camille had lifted Holly as she screamed to be fed. By now it was coming close to time to toast in the New Year. Jarrod and Susan came back in, a lot happier at having resolved their situation.

"So is this the little girl is it?" Master Phant asked as Camille brought her into the room for the toast.

"This is Holly." She told him, presenting the girl to him. He and Master Finn looked down on her fondly.

"She's really beautiful." Finn told her.

"She's healthy too." Swoop commented from a few feet away. "Her heartbeat's really strong."

"You haven't heard her lungs yet." Casey joked.

"OK guys, it's nearly time, everyone into position!" RJ called out as the clock ticked away. He took hold of Lily as they all gathered in the centre of the room together.

They all counted down, gathering around as they prepared to usher in the New Year. As the clock struck midnight, they let out a huge cheer and exchanged hugs, before turning to their families.

Jarrod and Susan held each other warmly as they looked forward to a new beginning together. They hadn't gotten off to the best of starts, but in their hearts, they knew that they had the best foundation of all for their relationship. They loved each other.

Dom smiled and pulled Gabby in closely as he watched Jarrod with Susan. He had been worried about his younger brother, but the way they were now, he knew they must have spoken with each other and sorted things out. He looked down to Gabby and kissed her passionately. Now he could concentrate on doing what was most important to him, making her happy.

Lily and RJ held each other as Lily pressed his hand to her abdomen, feeling the baby moving again. Clearly their little one had a sense of timing and knew when it was time to celebrate. They looked forward to the challenges that lay ahead. This was the last time they'd be seeing in another year by themselves.

Meanwhile Casey and Camille came together with little Holly, and wordlessly greeted their first year with their new child.

The only one not completely happy with the celebration was Theo. Although he couldn't be unhappy having Fran in his life, and although he knew she was doing well, he couldn't help being worried about what lay ahead for her. Her trial was only a few days away, and he knew what lay in store for her.

A/N: Just an extra length chapter to make up for how infrequent my updates have been recently, and the fact that I'll be taking a few days off across New Year. Happy New Year to everyone, and I wish you all a great 2009.

Sincerely, Knightwood.


	28. Selecting the Master

Theo was sitting in the living room of his apartment when Fran came into the room, gathering her books into a bag as she prepared to make her way to the library.

"Have you seen my history book?" She asked him as she frantically threw things around in search of her missing book. "I had it just last night."

"It's right here." He told her, holding up the offending book. "You left it here when you went to bed."

He handed her the book as she continued t get ready for another day of studying. He still wasn't convinced by Master Phant's assertion that she should take her trial just yet. She had worked hard for months for her exams, and he didn't want anything to get in her way. He knew how much it would mean to her to earn her teaching qualifications, and when she did, she could start looking for a job she would really be happy in. Although she only needed another couple of credits to graduate, he just didn't want anything to jeopardise that.

"So are you helping RJ today?" She asked him. Most of the guys had agreed to help RJ with the refit. The contractors he'd hired to knock through the wall between the two buildings had finished their task, and so it just stood to do some basic redecorating to get it ready to re-open.

"Yeah, I've agreed to help." He told her. "As much as Lily and Susan love the hotel, RJ wants to be able to move back in soon."

"Well I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out." She replied cheerfully, kissing his cheek as she gathered her jacket. "I'll see you tonight"

"Fran!" He called after her as she turned to leave. He pointed to where she had left her bag. "It would help if you took those don't you think?"

Fran just rolled her eyes and gathered the bag. She had become a little absent-minded as of late. Because of the amount of time she spent worrying about her exams and concentrating on studying, sometimes things were just slipping her mind.

"Don't work too hard." He told her, having a small laugh at her expense. "I'll see you later."

Fran waved and left the apartment without another word, leaving Theo on his own to finish his breakfast. He knew she would be fine when it came time for her exams, but he couldn't help worrying about her. He knew how much this meant to her.

Meanwhile at JKP, RJ and Master Finn had already begun working, dressing the new restaurant with wood panelling. Jarrod and Dom arrived as Finn finished cutting another board to length.

"Thanks for all the help guys." RJ began, welcoming them in. "I really want to be able to move back in soon. The builders did a great job taking out the wall, but they left the place a hell of a mess."

"When are Casey and Theo getting here?" Jarrod asked as he pulled off his jacket.

"They should be here soon." RJ told him. "Susan and Lily are spending the day shopping, Swoop and Phant should be around in a little while. Phant's keen to do the draw today."

"Why's he so adamant about Fran going for her trial now?" Dom asked him. "I mean, she's got exams to worry about."

"It's not just about the moon phase. The night of Fran's trial, the stars will be in a rare alignment. One that only occurs every hundred years." He explained. "It's a night of great significance to the temple, so he wanted Fran's trial to coincide with that. It's a good omen for someone to become a master on that night."

"I see you were explaining about the alignment." Phant announced as he arrived with Master Swoop, almost completing the assembly of the current Masters. "There'll be a strong mystical energy on that night, and it is said that a trial taking place on that night will shape the destiny of the temple."

"We're sure Fran is ready for the trial." Swoop said confidently. "Theo and Lily have trained her well, she really proved herself over her time in the field. If anyone deserves the honour of taking the trail on that night then it's her."

Theo arrived with Casey at this point. He'd only just heard the last part as he came in.

"Look, I know it's an important time for the temple, but it's an important time for Fran too." He told them. "Master Phant, I don't want her to risk anything that could jeopardise her exams."

"I'm sure nothing untoward will befall her." He replied as he pulled out the pot and rattled it. "Now, Lily is exempt from the draw because of her condition. There is a token for each of us in the pot. Whichever one of us draws the token with the fox on it will oversee her trial."

He offered the pot firstly to Theo. He was sure his heart stopped there and then. He reached into the pot, praying that he wouldn't select her token. It wasn't going to be easy watching her go through the trial regardless of who was chosen to test her. Of course it would be a hundred times worse if he found himself being forced to face her. He was conflicted as he inspected the token, noting that it was blank. He didn't have to test her, he was happy about that much, of course that still meant someone else would.

Casey pulled out his chip next. Theo tried to gauge his reaction to tell whether or not he had been selected, but he couldn't quite tell. Casey had an impressive poker face at times, and this was one such time. One by one, each of them pulled out a token, inspecting it. None of them gave away anything by their expressions. They put away their tokens, concluding the selection ceremony.

"Anyway, we really should get back to this." RJ stated, reminding them that they still had to continue with the restaurant. "I want to get my wife home before the hotel maxes out my credit card."

In the library at the college, Fran closed a book, having long since fried her brain with the effort of studying. By now all the words on the page were jumbling together into an unintelligible blob on the page.

"Time for a break." She muttered to herself, putting her book away. She made her way over to the refectory, buying a coffee for herself. As she sat down, she pulled out another book to read, one she had borrowed from Master Finn covering the legends of the Pai Zhuq temple. She began reading as she slowly sipped her coffee, not even noticing as one of her lecturers sat next to her.

"You have your nose in a book as usual Fran." He chuckled, stroking her shoulders as he sat down with his lunch. Fran suppressed a shudder at his touch. She had hated Dr. Marx since she first encountered him. He had been the main reason she studied so hard to graduate early. He was a total creep and couldn't keep his hands to himself around the female students.

It was a well known fact that he regularly had flings with some of his students. Some of them were easy to manipulate, he regularly bent rules for some of his struggling students. Fran couldn't stand him, but she knew she was so far ahead in her studies he couldn't blackmail her into doing anything she didn't want to, and complaining about his conduct would only jeopardise her chances of graduating.

"I just wanted to take a break from studying." She replied, continuing with her book. Marx put a finger on the corner, lifting it so that he could see the title.

"Is this a good story?" He asked, noting the title. Fran realised he thought it was some kind of fiction novel.

"Pretty good." She replied quickly, hoping to get this conversation to end.

"You're doing well." He commented, beginning to shovel pasta salad into his mouth as he ogled her. Fran ignored him in the hope that he would get bored and move on. "You know I don't think I've had a student as impressive as you."

"Thanks, my HUSBAND thinks I'm doing well too." She said as a reminder to him that she was married. He didn't seem to be discouraged though. She could smell the cheap aftershave on him and almost threw up. She could still smell the perfume of the latest of his student "conquests" on his tweed jacket. He shifted a little closer.

"You'll probably graduate soon." He reminded her. "You know, a good reference can really help when you're trying to land a job in this profession."

She put her book down, looking at the lecturer in disgust. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see where this was going. He wasn't a bad looking man by any means. He was somewhere in his mid to late thirties, with thick, dark hair. He had a dark moustache on his lip, giving him a somewhat distinguished appearance. He picked up her book, closing it.

"I guess I can ask one of my lecturers." She remarked. "Maybe Mrs. Goodwin."

He gave a half-smile and snorted in understanding. He was going to have to get something over her to convince her to cheat on Theo.

"I guess you could always ask." He responded, finishing up his salad. "I'll see you around."

As he touched her shoulders again, dragging his hand across them, she almost balked in disgust. It galled her to think how easily he manipulated many of the students he was entrusted with. It didn't matter to him that he was married and had three young children, he still sought his extra-curricular entertainment with his students. Given her training under Lily and Theo she knew she could cripple the lecherous old goat if she wanted to, but that was almost certain to result in her finding it impossible to find a teaching job once she was finished with her studies. Finishing her coffee, she put her book away and left to go back to the library. If anything could motivate her to study, it was the thought of spending another year with Dr. Marx.

Lily and Susan had spent a long time shopping. Susan was only just beginning to look for an apartment of her own now that it had come into the New Year and the realtors had re-opened, but moving to a new city, she had to start buying pretty much everything from scratch. Her last apartment had been provided by the precinct ready-furnished, and so she knew when she finally did find somewhere to rent, she would be starting from square one. Lily looked around at the restaurant.

"You guys are doing an amazing job!" She shrieked, seeing the transformation of the shell that was RJ's business.

"Enjoy your last night in the hotel." RJ chirped as he came into the room. "The apartment's almost ready. We'll be moving back in tomorrow."

Lily looked to the corner where Theo was eating lunch. She jerked her head in his direction.

"Is he...?"

"He didn't pick Fran's token." RJ assured her, putting an arm around her. "He's a little nervous, but that's understandable."

"I really hope everything turns out alright." She commented. She made her way over, sitting opposite Theo and taking one of his hands. As he looked up, she flashed a bright smile at him.

"I heard you're not testing Fran." She began. "I guess that's a good thing."

"I guess." He sighed, pushing away his plate. "I'm still really worried about her."

"She'll be fine T." She assured him. "You and I both know how far she's come. The last time I was able to spar against her she almost had me. She's amazing. She's ready."

He just nodded and went back to his lunch. Lily didn't press the matter and just left. Theo was always like that. He had a habit of keeping everything to himself. She made her way back to RJ.

"He's still scared." She told him. "I wish there was something we could do."

"I know, I was in pieces when it came to your trial." He confessed, looking over to the Jaguar Master. "I'm really glad he didn't pick her token."

"He told you that?" Lily asked him. RJ nodded in response.

"I don't know what I'd have done if I had to face you in the trial." He replied.

"Well I think that's about enough for today." Master Finn commented as he finished with the last panel. "We all have to get ready for the trial."

The following day, Fran woke up as she felt Theo gently shaking her. She turned over, looking at the digital alarm clock and groaned.

"Theo, it's 4 AM." She moaned.

"Fran, it's time for your trial." He told her. She looked at him a little curiously, putting on her glasses.

"My trial?" She asked. Theo nodded.

"You'll be given your Masters Trial today." He told her. He offered her a hand, helping her from the bed. "Get dressed. The other Masters are in the living room."

A little while later, Fran showed up in the living room in an orange track suit, finding Master Finn, Master Phant, RJ and Master Swoop waiting for her.

"Fran, today you will face your trial." Phant greeted her.

"As you all know, you've been training for the day when you will be tested by us, the Pai Zhuq Masters to test if you are worthy of becoming one of us." He stopped pacing and turned back to her. "Today is that day."

Fran gulped and sat down. She knew that they would one day test her, but she never thought for one minute it would be this soon.

"You will be taken from this place to the Jungle of Spirits." Finn informed her. "There you will camp out overnight. You will be allowed to drink water, but you must not eat during this day."

Fran looked to Theo, hoping for some form of help, but he could offer her nothing. She had to face this test alone.

"To become a Master, you must be prepared to battle the enemies of the planet at any time and in any condition." He continued. "The trial will test your strength to the limits."

"To pass the trial, you will have to show strength of Heart." Swoop interjected.

"You will have to have complete mastery of your animal spirit." RJ told her.

"You will have to show great strength of mind." Finn added.

"And you will have to show great strength of will when you are weak." Phant stated. "The true trial will begin tomorrow at first light. The fast is just to prepare you for the beginning of the trial."

"Tomorrow, you will awaken on a path to the ruins of the temple of the ancient masters. A place so sacred all animal spirits, even those not belonging to humans fall silent out of respect." Swoop carried on with the explanation. "To become a Master, you must make your way to the temple and ascend to the top and lay your hands on the crystal at the very top."

Fran remembered seeing the others coming back from their own trials and had some idea how much it would take to pass. She was not looking forward to the test.

"You will pass through three mystically treated arches on your journey." Finn explained. "The first will begin the Trial of the Heart, where you will face the true face of your most painful experience."

"Reaching the second arch will begin the Trial of the Will." Swoop stated with a sly grin. "You will have to face again your greatest challenge."

"The final arch will begin the Trial of Strength." RJ told her. "The third arch will bring you into the temple grounds, where you will have to ascend to the peak to touch the crystal."

"But the third trial will truly test you." Phant stated. "To ascend the temple to the crystal, you must best the master who is overseeing your trial in full contact combat."

"If your life is in direct peril, you will be teleported from the jungle sparing your life, but ending your trial in failure." Swoop stated, pre-empting his question. "But make no mistake. What you will encounter in the Jungle IS dangerous and everything you find there CAN hurt you."

"Finally, you must touch the crystal by sun down." Phant told her with authority. "If you do not complete your trial by then, you will have failed."

"Now, get your sleeping bag and come with us." Swoop commanded. "Your destiny awaits you."

Fran picked up her sleeping bag and followed them as they went to the van to head to the Jungle of Spirits. She knew that this was the beginning of a long couple of days for her.


	29. Fran's Trial

Theo sat in the newly refurbished apartment above JKP, watching the monitors. It had now been a few hours since Fran had been taken by the other masters to face her trial. RJ had told him he was welcome to watch on the monitors, as he knew that Theo would be unlikely to be able to sit back and watch her trial unfold if he was in the Jungle of Spirits with them.

Lily came over to him, placing a large mug of hot chocolate down beside him and putting an arm around him.

"She'll be fine." She told him warmly. "You shouldn't worry so much."

"I remember how tough this is remember?" He replied, pulling up his sleeve to show her his master's stripes.

"Well maybe you should try to remember how tough she is OK?" Lily recommended as he looked to the monitors, seeing her arrive in the clearing where she would be camping overnight to prepare for the trial. The other masters quickly ran through her final briefing, before leaving her alone. At least when he'd been facing his trial, Theo hadn't been on his own.

"I know she's strong." He sighed, reaching out for the image of his wife on the monitor as she sat cross-legged on the ground, taking a little time to meditate. "That doesn't mean to say that I'm not worried."

"You and I have both trained her well." Lily reminded him, gently nudging him with her elbow. "There just isn't much more we could have taught her."

"I guess you're right." He sighed in response. "Of course there wasn't much more Casey could have been shown either, and he failed."

"Have a little faith in her." Lily pressed on, holding him tightly. "You know Fran always finds a way to come through when the chips are down."

Theo just looked back to the monitors. He couldn't help being scared for her. She meant so much to him, and he knew how badly it would affect her confidence if she failed. Since her exams were so close, he had wanted them to wait until she had sat them before putting her through the trial. If she failed, then she wouldn't be in the right state of mind to sit her exams.

Meanwhile, in the Jungle of Spirits, Fran took some time to rest before the beginning of the trial. The first stage was for her to camp out overnight in the jungle, during which time she was not allowed to eat in preparation for the trial. She was not looking forward to that little exercise in the slightest, but she also knew from the descriptions of the trials that there wasn't much fun to be had the following day.

The first trial, the Trial of the Heart, required her to confront the face of her most painful memory. Well that didn't really narrow things down; it wasn't like she'd had the greatest of starts in life. Her dad had beaten her and degraded her, taking out his own misfortunes on her since she was a child. She still occasionally got nightmares, bringing back images of his abuse. Of course it wasn't as though her mom was exactly a prize catch. She had walked out and left Fran alone after blaming her for her father's death. It was possible that would be the challenge she would face. She'd already gained some measure of peace with her mother when she confronted her all those months ago; of course it wasn't a hurt that just went away.

Dai Shi had done a lot to hurt her over the last year, so she also knew that it was possible he would be chosen as the face of her most painful memory. Of course that would only make things worse, since the main face she could recall of Dai Shi was Jarrod. It wouldn't make facing him any easier, they had become friends since he'd been separated from Dai Shi.

She thought about the second trial for a moment. The Trial of the Will, which required her to face again her greatest challenge. There were many things she could recall about that year which would qualify. At one time she'd been forced to stand against the Overdrive Rangers only a few months after beginning training, and without powers. That battle had taken place before she had been given her morpher by Andrew Hartford. Then again, she had also faced many great challenges after receiving those powers. She had been forced to face the Phantom Beasts, again not long after beginning her training. She had also been forced into the position of taking part in the final battle. Any one of those beasts could be chosen.

Of course the last trial was the one that scared her most of all. The Trial of Strength required her to face one of her friends in full-contact combat.

She'd breathed a sigh of relief when Theo didn't come with them. It meant that she wouldn't be made to face her husband, and she also knew that Lily had stayed behind. Because of the baby she would not be made to take part. Of course that still left seven other masters she could potentially be facing. There weren't any of them that she felt especially confident against. Masters Finn, Swoop and RJ had all been trained pretty much since they could walk, and easily stood head and shoulders above her in terms of skill. Master Phant had decades of experience under his belt, and had taken part in more than a few trials in his time. Indeed out of the nine living masters, Master Phant had tested three of them.

Finally there was Casey. She knew he had been trained by his dad long before he'd even come to Ocean Bluff. She had also witnessed him grow and develop under the guidance of RJ and Master Finn.

She let out a long sigh and looked to the sky as the sun began to fall. She had no idea what she was doing here, or why she was being tested now. She uncorked the pot she had been left by Master Phant, remembering what Theo had told her about the potion inside. He'd said that the images he was assaulted with as he drank it had given him a lot of insight into what he was about to face before he passed out. He'd told her that if anything, that was about the scariest part of the whole trial. She wasn't sure about that part, but she took one last deep breath, before tossing back the contents of the pot.

She quickly found that he hadn't been exaggerating. Many of the images bombarded her, causing her to scream aloud, her cries reverberating around the jungle. After what seemed like hours of being tormented by some of the most vivid and painful memories of her journey through life to this point, her mind finally lost control and she collapsed, unconscious. Seeing her laying there, the master chosen to test her stepped out of the undergrowth, kneeling down beside her and observing her, before picking her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about a thing Fran." He said gently to her. "The trial isn't about power; it's about mastering your animal spirit. Be true to that and you will have nothing to worry about."

Back in the apartment, Lily watched the screen, feeling a little nervous as she watched Fran being carried away to the starting point of her trial. She was glad Theo was in the bathroom at that point in time. She knew that none of them would want to face Fran, but more than any of them, she felt sorry for her Master. She knew he was one of her closest and dearest friends; there was no way he'd want to hurt her.

Fran came too, just as the sun rose over the tree line. She struggled to remember the images she had seen when she drank the potion, but she was drawing a blank. All she could remember was hearing a familiar voice giving her advice. Telling her to be true to her animal spirit and not concentrate on power. What was that meant to mean?

Hauling herself to her feet, she made her way forward, reminding herself that she needed to make it to the temple and up to the crystal before nightfall. She passed through the first arch, feeling a little trepidation. Whatever she was going to have to face would be far from pleasant. She also couldn't help feeling a lot weaker, like something was wrong. She looked inside, realising what it was. Her animal spirit was gone.

"You worthless little bitch." She heard a familiar, slurring voice coming from the undergrowth. She knew immediately what her first trial was. She looked on as she watched her father approaching her slowly. She could remember that evil look he got in his bloodshot eyes before the pain started, and quaked in fear. Even after all this time she was still scared of him. She was knocked off her feet as he connected with a savage punch to her stomach. "You want to become a master? How do you plan to master anything? You're worthless. You did nothing but ruin our lives from the moment you arrived. I should have smothered the life out of you when I had the chance."

Fran tried to get up, but he kicked her roughly, forcing her to stay down. Her tears began to run down her face as she recalled all of her brutal beatings at his hands. She could remember every bruise, every broken bone in detail. He began to slowly undo his belt, folding it over and smacking it against his hand menacingly.

She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. She was meant to be strong, she was meant to be able to cope with this, and yet here she was, that little girl being abused by the man who should have loved her unconditionally all over again.

She saw her wedding ring and took from it all the strength she'd ever need and more. She wasn't a little girl, she was a grown woman. A grown, married woman, who had a husband and friends who cared about her, she wasn't the same skinny little waif that used to cry herself to sleep every night as she nursed fresh injuries. As the belt came down, Fran grabbed his wrist, halting its progress.

"You are the one that was worthless!" She hissed aggressively, pulling herself up to her full height and confronting him. "You blamed me for everything! You blamed me for getting hurt. You blamed me for the fact you drank, you blamed me for the fact you couldn't hold down a job!"

"That was all your fault!" He screamed, struggling against her grip. Fran shoved him away roughly.

"YOU chose to play in that game, not me!" She snarled. "There would have been other opportunities, other try outs, but you chose to go into that game knowing the risks! You chose to start drinking and give up on life! You chose to blame everyone but the one person who was to blame for everything!"

"You little..."

"You did it all to yourself!" She screamed at him, finally unleashing all the hurt and anger within her caused by his mistreatment. "You and no one else did this! Instead of doing something to help yourself, you blamed it all on the one person you should have been looking after! The one person who was blameless in all of this!"

Her father's face flashed red and he roared, swinging a massive punch at her. Fran ducked out of the way before connecting with a vicious elbow to his jaw, sending him to the floor. She sneered in disgust as she looked down on him, now realising for the first time what he was. He was a pathetic, feeble little shell of a man.

"To think I wasted all those years listening to what you had to say and being scared of you." She snorted, shaking her head dismissively. "You have no power over me anymore. You're just a lousy, lowlife drunk."

With that, she walked onward as the image of her father faded away into nothing. She had passed the first test.

Back in the apartment, Theo arrived back, having raided RJ's larder for chips. He could now understand why RJ had such a huge appetite when he was nervous.

"How are things going?" He asked as he sat down in RJ's recliner.

"She's passed the first test." Lily informed him. Theo leant in intently as he tore open the packet.

"Already?" He asked incredulously.

"It was her dad." She told him. "She kicked his ass."

"Alright, way to go Fran!" He chirped cheerfully.

"You know, you really should have more faith in her." Lily told him. "She's an amazing woman."

"Right as usual Lily." He replied. "Right as usual."

Back in the Jungle, Fran made her way through the second arch, coming a short way down the path. It wasn't long before she came across the face of her second challenge.

"Hey there Fran." Ronny greeted her with a warm smile. "You fancy a rematch?"

"You're my second test?" Fran asked her. Ronny just smiled at her.

"This was the first time you ever used what Theo had taught you in the field." She reminded Fran. "You took on a Power Ranger single-handedly. That takes a lot of guts."

"Well Theo and the others needed me." Fran replied, shifting into a guard. "Sorry about the face by the way."

"Don't worry, it had cleared up by the time my wedding photos were being taken." She reminded her. "OK, let's go."

With that, they threw themselves upon each other, each looking to score some form of early advantage. Despite everything, Fran was already aware how strong a foe Ronny was, and was not looking to underestimate her.

Back in the apartment, Theo watched on the monitors as Fran and Ronny jostled for some form of advantage. He knew that Ronny's super speed could easily grant her an advantage. Lily could see that he was worried and handed him a bowl of salsa.

"You worry too much." She told him. "Fran will figure something out."

"Hopefully BEFORE Ronny clobbers her." He remarked as he watched Fran flying through the air.

Back in the Jungle, Fran hauled herself to her knees as she prepared for Ronny's next attack. She knew that there had to be some way that she could turn this around. To get an advantage. Ronny was simply too fast and...

"That's it." She whispered to herself. "Force equals mass times acceleration. Ronny's providing a lot of speed, if I can turn that against her..."

She sat and thought for a second and realised that Ronny had been attacking in a pattern. She always came in from the right, she was right-handed. She watched, seeing Ronny making her way out to the left in a yellow streak.

"That's the feint." She told herself, before she blurred towards her. "Unleash the fox!"

Ronny found herself being bowled over onto the ground as Fran's fox spirit caught her with a telling blow. Fran made her way over, grabbing her arm and twisting it painfully behind her back.

"I give!" Ronny rushed out as she realised she was beaten, tapping out to the hold. Fran got off her and helped her back to her feet. "You know, you've improved a lot since then."

"So have you." Fran returned the compliment.

"I was just overconfident the first time." Ronny reminded her. "Now, you still have one more challenge, and the sun's waiting for no one."

Fran looked to the sun and smiled. It was still high in the sky overhead. She had dispensed with her first two challenges a lot quicker than she would have thought possible. That stood in her favour when she confronted her master.

"Keep up the good work there Fox Master." Ronny said as she disappeared. Fran turned and ran in the direction of the temple, racing to face her Master with a renewed confidence. As she arrived at the temple, she looked around the courtyard, seeing the fox statue awaiting her. She knew that to begin the final trial she had to approach the statue. She looked fondly at the representation of her animal spirit, seeing her solar morpher at the feet of the statue. She took off her glasses, putting them down, before replacing them with her solar morpher and activating it.

"Jungle Beast, SPIRIT UNLEASHED!" She called out, taking on her Ranger form for the first time since the final battle with Dai Shi. She had to admit that it felt good to feel that power coursing through her again. She heard applause from behind her.

"You've done well." A familiar voice greeted her. Fran took a huge gulp and turned around slowly. With the possible exception of Theo, this was the last person she wanted to face.

"RJ?" She asked nervously. The Wolf Ranger stepped forwards, confronting his student. He had known Fran now for longer than the others. He could still remember seeing that skinny, jerky, nervous little thing stepping into the pizza parlour for the first time on the day he opened. She had come a long way from that day, and he was proud of her. Of course that didn't exactly help the fact he was now forced to fight her.

"Just relax, you have time." He said reassuringly, adopting a guard. "Just remember everything you've been taught and don't give up. You're too strong for that."

Fran called forth her tonfa, preparing a guard nervously. She knew that this was going to be by far the toughest part of her trial. RJ had been trained since he was a kid; she'd only been studying for this for a little over a year and a half. How was she meant to defeat him?


	30. Fran's Time

In the apartment, Lily could only watch Theo pacing the room nervously. She could see in his eyes a mixture of fear and loathing that was tearing at his mind and his heart. She knew he wasn't really upset with RJ, but he had to feel some measure of anger at him for facing off against his wife. She gestured for him to sit down.

"Theo, stop pacing, you're only getting yourself worked up." She told him soothingly, trying to calm him down. "Try to relax."

"How can I relax Lily?" He roared gesturing wildly at the screen. "Your husband is about to start beating the hell out of my wife!"

"Do you really think I want to see them fighting?" Lily asked him. "Theo, he doesn't have a choice, he was chosen at random..."

"He could have refused!" He snapped. "He could have..."

"Theo, you know he couldn't have refused. It's part of his duty as a master." She reminded him. "Besides, you wouldn't be happy with any of them having to fight her. Would you really have felt any better about Master Phant fighting her? What about Casey? Or Dom?"

Theo just sat down without answering. He knew Lily was right; he couldn't have sat and watched any of them fight her. Lily put her arm around him.

"What if he's too much for her?" He asked, conceding his worst fear. "What if she isn't ready? What if she isn't up to it?"

"RJ's trained with all of us, he knows all of our limits and strengths." Lily reminded him. "If the worst happens, he'll be less likely to hurt her seriously than any of the others."

Theo just turned back to the monitor, watching her taking another hard hit, flying through the air and coming to a halt by the foot of the steps. The lump rose in his throat as he watched her pull herself back to her feet. He knew Fran better than to hope she would just lie down and accept defeat if she was getting into trouble.

Back at the temple, Fran was grateful for her Ranger form. RJ had been keeping her under pressure since the early going, and it was only the power of her morphed form that prevented her from being seriously hurt.

"Suck it up Fran; you can do better than this." RJ said encouragingly, rounding on her. "I've seen you in battle before; I know you can do this."

Fran snarled and rushed for him, swinging wildly. RJ blocked her blow with her weapon before launching her high into the air, landing about halfway up the temple's steps. Fran looked up just in time to see RJ's knees coming towards her. She rolled aside just in time as they slammed into the stone, smashing it. They both quickly regained their feet, squaring off again.

Fran looked deep within her and felt her frustration building.

"Stay calm, getting angry with yourself clouds your judgement." RJ reminded her. It didn't do much to help her frustration. She was in the middle of one of her toughest fights and RJ was still lecturing her? She launched herself at him again, only to find herself reacquainted with the stone.

"Stay calm!" He snapped. Fran couldn't help being angry, but she nodded as she realised he was right. Just rushing him wasn't getting her anywhere. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself as she tried to figure out what to do next. So far he'd been beating her from pillar to post with kicks and knees.

She opted for another approach. If she could get close and limit his ability to use his destructive leg techniques, she might have a chance. As RJ surged forward, she parried his kick with her tonfa, before slipping inside his guard and scoring a few blows to his torso. She forced him back against the wall, continuing to hammer into him, before he connected with a hard elbow to the back of her head, stunning her before slamming her to the steps.

"You can't match me in strength!" RJ yelled at her, holding her to the ground. "THINK! How did you beat all those opponents? What about you will I never be able to match? What's your biggest strength?"

She forced him off her, connecting with a kick to get some room. Again she knew he was right. He was stronger than her, staying in close was only likely to end in her being overpowered. She leapt into the air, but was countered by a return kick from RJ, sending her back to the steps. She felt her frustrations building again, slamming a fist into the stone. How could she beat him?

Back in the apartment, Lily was trying to keep Theo calm as he stormed around the apartment. Ever since RJ took control, he'd been finding it harder and harder to keep his cool. All he could do was watch as Fran was taken down again and again, feeling every blow as though he was taking it.

"Why is he still fighting?" Theo screamed at her. "Why don't they stop this?"

"She's still in the fight Theo!" Lily told him. "Calm down, you have to believe in her!"

"She's going to get hurt!" He yelled at her.

"RJ wouldn't hurt her badly." Lily told him. "She's still got time."

Theo glared hatefully at the monitor. Lily could see how hard he was taking it, and could understand how hard this was to watch. She had to feel badly herself, Fran was one of her best friends, and RJ was her husband. She didn't even care about the result of the battle. All she cared about was that they would both get out of it alright.

Back in the Jungle, Fran had taken another hard fall, beginning to become a little dejected.

"Fran, THINK! What's your biggest strength?" RJ willed her passionately. Fran cast forward her fox spirit, only for it to be dashed aside by RJ's wolf.

"No! That's not it!" He shouted, glancing to the sun, seeing that it was now only a short way over the tree line. She didn't have long left to defeat him. "I've been training with my wolf spirit for years. It's stronger than the fox, you can't win like that!"

Fran was almost completely out of patience. She was almost ready to just give up when she finally had a memory. She could remember a voice telling her that the trial wasn't about power, but being true to the animal spirit. She realised RJ had told her that. She then thought over everything he had said. He was stronger than her; he was just as fast, though his technique was superior as a result of his experience and training. His wolf spirit was stronger than the fox...

That was it! She realised what he was getting at. The fox didn't hunt by being strong, it hunted by cunning. It set traps for its prey and its predators. The fox had been known to regularly defeat prey far stronger than itself by outsmarting them. Her eyes connected with RJ's and he smiled beneath his helmet, nodding slightly. He hadn't been lecturing her, he had been helping her. All along he had been telling her how to beat him. He smiled as he realised that now she understood.

"I hope this works." She muttered to herself as a plan formed in her mind. She adjusted her grip on her tonfa, holding them at the very ends and swung them wildly. RJ caught them, only for Fran to quickly release them, staggering him as he tried to pull them from her. She kicked him hard, sending him staggering to the edge of the ledge.

"Unleash the fox!" She screeched, sending forth her fox spirit. RJ was sent tumbling down the steps all the way to the ground as it attacked, not him, but the stone, taking the steps out from under him. As he finally came to rest at the bottom of the temple, he smiled as he de-morphed. He hauled himself back to his feet and beckoned her to go.

Fran accepted the gesture, overjoyed that he was alright, before making her way up the temple. The last rays of sunlight were just peeking over the tree line as she reached out, touching the crystal. It started glowing brightly, and before she had any idea what was happening, they were all back in the apartment. The crystal had teleported her and the masters back into the apartment. She looked around the room as she powered down, her body had been bruised and battered, every muscle ached, and all her strength had all but given up, but she was happier than she'd ever been other than marrying Theo. All of her friends gathered around her, smiling, showing their pride. Theo in particular was close to tears.

"You did it." RJ informed her, coming over to her and hugging her warmly. He felt her strength beginning to falter a little and helped her to remain standing.

"I knew you could do it!" Lily gushed, hugging her tightly. Fran looked to her husband, knowing that he was most relieved of all that she'd made it through. She rushed into his arms, kissing her passionately.

"I bet no one ever celebrated like THAT back in the ancient temple." Finn chuckled as she finally parted from him. Master Swoop took her by the wrist, rolling back her sleeve to expose her right forearm.

"Fran, do you swear to uphold the traditions and honour of the Pai Zhuq Temple?" He asked her. He could feel her pulse rate racing.

"I will." She promised him, her lip quivering as he powered up his hand into an energy claw. She yelped as his swipe burned her painfully, slicing the flesh. Her wound started to glow brightly before dimming and becoming her Master's Mark. She looked down to the mark permanently etched into her forearm and smiled as she felt a greater sense of pride than she ever thought possible.

"Well done Fran." Casey congratulated her, shaking her hand. They all congratulated her, hugging her one by one as they welcomed her into the place she truly belonged. Into the family and dynasty of the Pai Zhuq temple.

"Well as the newest master, you now have the option of how you'd like to celebrate." RJ told her.

"Well after that, I just want to sleep for a month." She replied wearily. "I must look like a wreck."

"I'll take you home." Theo replied, gathering his jacket. "You did well today, you should be proud."

"I am." She responded with a bright smile. "But I'm also exhausted."

"Well I hope you're not too tired." He told her, kissing her cheek as they left to head home.

"Why?" She asked mischievously. "What did you have in mind?"

He gave her a long look, smiling in awe of the woman he loved.

"I think I can come up with a few ideas." He replied.

The next day, Fran woke up with a huge smile on her face. Despite everything she'd been through the night before, she was happy. Looking at her stripes once more, she felt a sense of accomplishment she never had before. Now more than ever, she knew there was nothing she couldn't accomplish.

"Good morning." Theo greeted her, his arm snaking its way around her waist. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still a little sore." She replied, turning over to face him. "I should probably get ready for college."

"Can't you stay a little longer?" He asked her, pouting slightly.

"Didn't you get enough last night?" She asked him, her eyebrows rising slightly. "I thought you enjoyed that."

"Oh I did." He replied. "But I could never get enough of you."

"Well you're going to have to wait." She told him, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed beginning to look around for clothes. "I've already missed two days of studying. I really should get back to it."

"You're a master now." He reminded her. "There's nothing you can't accomplish."

"Well if I don't study, the only thing I'll accomplish is to fail spectacularly." She replied, beginning to get dressed. "Maybe we should go out for something to eat? I didn't get a chance to celebrate last night."

"That sounds like a plan." He replied. "Chinese good for you?"

"That sounds perfect." She replied. "I'll see you later."

"You know, you also left before they could give you a master's title." He reminded her. "I guess that means I get to come up with it."

"What kind of title?" She asked him. Theo thought about it for a second.

"The Latin for fox is vulpes." He stated. "How about Master Vulpes?"

"I like it." She replied with a smile. "I'll see you later.

Fran arrived in the library, and looked around for a vacant table, finally finding a space to take a seat. She began pulling out books as she prepared herself for another intense study session. She suddenly looked up as she smelled the familiar cheap aftershave, seeing Dr Marx before her.

"You've not been here the last couple of days." He commented. "I was beginning to worry."

"I can look after myself." She replied coldly. She could live without the old creep hassling her, especially when she was trying to study.

"I don't doubt that." He stated, sitting down opposite her, putting down his book. "Of course everyone could do with a little help now and again."

"Look, we both know what you're trying to pull here." She hissed at him under her breath, making sure no one could hear. "I doubt your wife would be impressed if she found out about your one on one tutoring."

"What makes you think she'd believe you?" He chuckled. "Is that your plan? To tattle to my wife? I know you Fran, you wouldn't do that. You know all that would do is hurt her and the kids."

She looked away, he was right about that. Although it would get him off her back, she knew that his wife and kids would end up getting hurt if she told them. She couldn't do that to them just to hurt Dr. Marx.

"You're a soft hearted soul Fran; it's one of the things I like about you." He told her, reaching across and taking her hand. Fran snatched it away.

"Touch me and I'll turn you into a eunuch." She warned him. He just laughed.

"Then you'd be expelled, and charged with assault." He told her. "I might even sue you into the bargain for the hell of it. Who are they going to believe? Me or you? A respected lecturer, or a student who's about to fail? It wouldn't be the first time a student's made false accusations to try and stay in college."

"What are you talking about?" She asked him. "I'm only a few points from graduating..."

"You remember that essay you wrote? The one worth 40 percent of my class?" He asked her. "The one you didn't hand in?"

"I handed it in four days early!" She stated.

"Good luck proving that." He replied, producing it from his brief case. "It was a fantastic piece of work by the way."

Fran felt her heart freeze as she saw the essay. Dr Marx's class was a key module of the course. If she failed his class, then she wouldn't pass. He walked around the table, putting an arm around her and sniffed her hair.

"You know it is possible it'll turn up, and that I'll have simply...misplaced it." He suggested. "Of course I could be persuaded to make that happen."

She felt a treacherous tear beginning to run down her face as he said this. He just laughed at her predicament.

"Think about it and call me." He told her. "You never know you might enjoy yourself."

He left her alone in the corner of the library, feeling helpless. How could this be happening? She had been so happy earlier that day. She finally felt like everything was going her way, and now this son of a bitch had taken that from her.

She put her head to the desk, realising it was pointless to study. If he carried out his threat, she was going to fail the course. She wouldn't be able to prove that he had withheld the essay. She looked to her wedding ring, unable to console herself over the situation she was in. Theo had done so much for her, she couldn't cheat on him, even if she did have it in her to get over her disgust and accept Dr Marx proposal. She just couldn't see a way out of this, and it broke her heart to realise that despite everything she had accomplished, despite passing her trial and all of her classes, she still wasn't able to overcome this.


	31. Master Vulpes' First Challenge

Theo sat nervously in his favourite Chinese Restaurant, waiting for his wife. Since it was basically their celebration for her earning her Master's Stripes, he had decided to put in a little effort. He was wearing his best shirt, he had tipped the maître d well to ensure they got a good table close to the stage where a string band played every Thursday night, and he had even gotten her a little present.

He checked his pocket again quickly to ensure that he hadn't somehow lost it in the few minutes since he last checked on it, breathing a sigh of relief as he found it and putting it back into his jacket. He suddenly felt his spirits lifting as he saw Fran wandering into the restaurant. He stood up, gesturing her over. For some reason she seemed oblivious to the maitre d trying to find out if she was looking for someone. She came over to the table and dumped her bag underneath it with a bit of a sigh.

"I take it you lost track of time." Theo stated, noticing that she was still carrying her books with her, and that she hadn't changed. It wasn't like her, normally when they came here she liked to clean up first and make a bit of an effort, but she clearly hadn't even returned to the apartment to drop off her books. She stared blankly at him. "I take it you were studying all this time?"

"Uhhh, yeah." She finally managed to squeak out in a weak voice that reminded Thro very much of the early days, when her nerves got the better of her in even the most basic of social situations. It was a complete lie she had told him. Since the confrontation with Dr Marx, study had been the furthest thing from her mind. She couldn't concentrate on anything, much less the finer points of the sciences and literature. She still found it hard to breathe thinking about his proposition. She'd known all year that he had no interest in appropriate boundaries with his female students. One or two had left the course as a result; some relented to his "charms" in order to make things easier in the long run. Of course no one complained. He was always much too clever to allow anything to jeopardise his job. At first she had simply hoped that she would get the same reaction from him that she got from just about any man other than Theo and he would leave her alone. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

In one of their seminar groups, Fran had been particularly eager about one of the authors they were discussing. She had loved his books ever since she was a kid, regularly immersing herself completely into his written word to escape her pitiful existence and the abuse of her parents. She had realised her mistake almost immediately as the session went on. Her thorough understanding of the subject matter marked her out beyond the other students, and in her enthusiasm she had even corrected Dr. Marx on a couple of points. As she began to pack her things after the session, she could see the look in his eye that let her know she had made herself a target. She was something unique to him now; she had marked herself out as special. It wasn't long after that the attention began.

Now, of course, he had what he'd been desperate to get all year. He had something over her, something he could use to influence her. He'd had to use a pretty underhanded trick to get it, but now he had her in a position she never wanted to be, the position of needing something from him.

"Are you ok?" Theo asked her, a look of concern crossing his face. He could tell without even trying that something was bothering her. Despite her minor injuries and her exhaustion after her trial the previous day, she had been full of energy and enthusiasm when she left the apartment that morning. It worried him to think about what could be bothering her.

"I'm fine." She lied unconvincingly. She couldn't have been less convincing in her attempt to lie to him. Theo smiled at her as a waiter arrived with the menus.

"Look, I know you're nervous about the exams, but remember. You can do anything you set your mind to." He told her as they checked out the menu. "You'll be fine."

"I just couldn't get my head around anything." She moaned, putting down the menu. It was pointless to even look at it. She couldn't care less what she ate, or even IF she ate. All she could think about was the look of disappointment on Theo's face if she told him he'd have to support her through another year of studying after coming so close to getting through it all. They weren't destitute, she could remember what that was like from her time living alone, but it wasn't like they were exactly wealthy. Since JKP was still closed, so they weren't both working there, Theo got the odd shift from RJ helping to redecorate and doing basic labouring, but he was getting so much help from Master Finn, that the shifts were less frequent, meaning that he had to rely on his part-time work from Casey at the gym. Even this meal out would have taken a significant portion of their savings. "I'm really worried I won't make it."

"Relax, you'll make it." He said warmly, holding her hand. "I have faith in you. You're way too smart for that place; you're likely to graduate a year early anyway."

Fran couldn't look him in the eye as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It wasn't going to happen, not if Dr Marx withheld the essay as he had threatened. There was no way she could prove that was the case, and she knew that failing his course would prevent her graduating. Even the thought of re-sitting that course wasn't exactly a thought she relished, since it would no doubt mean yet more suggestive comments and sly touching from the old creep. Her only other option would be to go to another college and the next nearest one was in San Francisco, there was no way they could afford for her to commute there, and she sure as hell couldn't afford to rent an apartment. Of course she wouldn't want to live on site anyway, since it would mean either Theo coming with her, or being separated from him most of the time. She couldn't ask him to do either; he had already done so much.

"What if I don't pass?" She asked him. "I mean there are lots of things that could happen between now and then. What if I haven't studied enough? What if I forgot something? What if ...?"

"Fran, you can't live your life based on what might happen." Theo reminded her. "Look, what's the worst that can happen? You don't pass the one or two subjects you still need to and have to do them again next year. Sure we'll have to tighten our belts a little, but we'll manage."

"Theo, I don't want to just manage!" She snapped a little too forcefully. "Everything's going great for all the others. Lily and RJ will re-open the restaurant next month and they still have the baby to look forward to. Casey and Camille have Holly and the Gym and what do we have?"

"Is this what this is about?" He asked her. "You're worried you won't get through this because you're jealous of the others?"

Fran just looked down, holding her head in her hands as she let out a sigh. She didn't really blame the others. She had to admit being a little jealous at seeing Casey and Camille with their daughter, she'd always loved kids. It was one of the reasons she wanted to be a teacher in the first place. She was just venting her frustrations at the situation she was in get the better of her and lashing out.

"I'm sorry; I guess I'm a little worked up." She mumbled. Theo gestured the waiter away and got up from the table. Whatever had gotten her like this was obviously upsetting her quite badly. He figured she wouldn't be in the mood for this tonight.

"Come on, I'll take you home." He whispered, picking up her bag. "I'll make you something when we get there."

Fran just nodded and got up from the table, leaving with her. The maitre d just crossed their booking off the list as he watched them leave. It puzzled him that Theo would go to such effort to secure one of the most sought after tables in the restaurant, only to leave without so much as ordering, but it didn't bother him that much. He still had a table to sell, and he still had Theo's tip.

Theo got her back to the apartment, where Fran just slumped down onto the couch. Theo came over to her, kneeling before her and holding her hand.

"Fran, what's got you this upset?" He asked her. "You haven't been yourself all night."

"It's just..."

"Fran, don't lie to me!" He pleaded with her. "I know you're lying, I know there's something else going on, please just tell me."

She just couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't want Theo to think that she was tempted by Dr Marx's proposal. The mere thought of him disgusted her. She could still feel her skin crawling from when he had touched her earlier.

"Fran, I love you, if something's upsetting you this much I want to know." He continued. "I'm not giving up on this! You're going to tell me..."

Fran couldn't hold it in any longer, she breathed a deep sigh and looked at him with a couple of tears beginning to form.

"I don't deserve you." She whimpered, a smile crossing her face as she looked at him. "Theo, something's happening at college. One of the lecturers is giving me a hard time."

"Is that all?" He asked her, a little confused. "Just tell him to go to hell. You're going to graduate..."

She reached forward, snatching him into a deep hug and wept loudly. "That's just it, I won't graduate! He's made sure of that."

"Fran, what are you talking about?" He asked her, releasing her and looking into her eyes. His warmth shone through as he looked deeply into her eyes. "If he's treating you unfairly you can report him. He's not allowed..."

"He didn't put through one of my essays." She told him. "It's worth 40 percent of my final grade. I can't pass his course without it."

"Why would he do that?" He asked her. Fran just took his hands as she tried to find the courage to tell him.

"He has a habit of being a little...intimate...with his female students." She confessed quietly, her breath barely carrying it to her husband. "He started touching me and making suggestions, but I ignored him. When I finally had enough and told him where to go, he withheld my essay. He told me that he'd forward it to the exam board and claim he mislaid it if..."

Theo's mood noticeably darkened. No wonder she was upset. He got that look in his eye that scared her a little, the one that let her know when his temper was about to get the better of him. He eased up a little as he saw the look on her face.

"I'd never do it!" She rushed out in a panic. "I'd never go through with it, I'd never..."

"Fran, I know you better than that. I know you wouldn't give in to something like that." He assured her. "Look, you have to report this. He can't be allowed to get away with this."

"I can't Theo, no one will believe me!" She shrieked, tearing her hands away from him. "I don't have any proof, and since I'm about to fail his course, they'll just think it's a revenge thing. They'll think I'm lying."

Theo sat down beside her, putting his arm around her and holding her closely. He wanted to hurt this guy so badly, but he knew it wouldn't do anything to improve the situation. No doubt it would end up coming back on Fran anyway.

"Maybe I should just quit." She suggested. "I mean, I'm not going to pass anyway, why go through all that hassle?"

"Fran, you can't do that. You've worked too hard for this." Theo told her. "Besides, if you quit, it'll not just be you who gets hurt."

"What do you mean?" She asked him. "I've wanted this for so long..."

"Just like the other girls did." He interrupted her. Fran just stared at him open-mouthed. She couldn't answer that point. "You know he's had affairs before, he isn't going to change. What about all the girls after you?" He pulled her in tightly, hugging her warmly.

"The reason he's gotten away with this for so long is because no one has the courage to stand up to him." He reminded her as he kissed her softly, showing her the love that allowed him to see her torment. "Someone has to break the cycle."

Fran smiled at him, realising once more why she loved him. It meant the world to her that he believed her without question, and she knew he was right, that somehow she had to stop him.

"I think we should call Susan." He suggested.

"I thought you wanted me to report this." She responded.

"Fran, what he's doing is blackmail. It's a criminal offence!" He reminded her.

"I just hate to think of what this is going to do to his family." She sighed, realising that again Theo had a point. "They don't deserve this."

"You're right, they don't." Theo told her. "But do you really think they deserve to continue to live the lie he's been telling them all this time?"

"I guess not." She replied. "Make the call."

A little while later, Susan had arrived, making her way into their living room. Theo had briefly explained that it was a police matter they wanted to talk about. It was still a couple of days until she was cleared to return to service and start her new job in OBPD, but she was still more than willing to help. She sat and listened intently as Fran explained everything.

"Well Theo's right, that's a clear-cut case of blackmail." She finally stated as Fran completed the sorry tale. "You can't give in to this."

"What else can we do?" Fran asked her. "He's holding all the cards."

"You're right; he is holding all the cards...well...all the paper anyway." Susan replied, confusing them. "For his scheme to work, he still needs to have the essay. If he gets rid of it then he knows you have no reason to go through with your end of the proposition."

"So if we can get the essay..."

"No, that's not what I'm thinking." Susan interrupted her. "The essay's already late. If you hand it in, then it won't be accepted anyway."

"But I have it on my computer, the modification date..."

"Can be altered." Susan interrupted her. "All you'd accomplish is getting it back. At the moment the only thing that's proving your claim is the fact he has it."

"So we need for him to be caught red-handed with the essay." Theo suggested. "Great, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure we can just walk right up to him and ask him to turn out his brief case."

"Well not quite." Susan told them. "Even if he's found in possession of the essay, he'll probably still claim he misplaced it. We need to catch him red-handed in a situation he can't explain or wriggle out of."

"Well there is one way we can do that I guess." Fran sniffed, composing herself to confront this thing head on. "Give him what he wants."

"No, absolutely not!" Theo snapped in response. "Fran, you can't..."

"Theo, all this is because of me. I need to sort this." She argued. "You heard Susan, finding the essay isn't going to be enough. We need to get him in a situation he can't get out of or explain."

"So you're offering yourself up as live bait in a honey trap?" He sneered. "Sorry Fran, I can't go along with this, it's too risky."

"What other choice do we have Theo?" She asked him. "If we do nothing, he wins."

He still wasn't convinced by the wisdom of this plan, but could see that Fran wasn't going to be talked out of it. She pulled up her sleeve, looking to her Master's Stripes and sighed.

"I hope the courage of my convictions is right this time." She mumbled, before getting her phone and dialling.

"Dr. Marx, could you meet with me?" She asked him. She could hear kids playing in the background and could only think of his family again. He was obviously at home.

"Fran, I see you've come around." He replied kicking the door to the living room closed as he made his way into the hall for privacy. "I'm glad you're seeing sense. We all need a little help now and again."

"I couldn't agree more." She replied, looking over to Susan and an increasingly-agitated Theo. "Where can we meet?"

"Well I usually like the Highview Hotel." He responded. "I'll meet you there in half an hour. Wear something...appropriate."

Fran hung up, looking apologetically over to Theo. She knew he wasn't fond of this plan from the beginning.

"Susan, there's a couple more calls I'd like you to make." Fran told her. "I need to find something to wear to impress my date."

Theo went with Fran into the bedroom, watching as she looked out one of her few dresses for the occasion. She saw him before her and stopped in her tracks.

"Theo, if there was another way..."

"I know that Fran." He replied, pulling the box out of his pocket. "Listen, I've been so proud of you with everything that's happened, I just wanted to give you something."

Fran took the jewellery box from him and opened it, looking inside, finding a fine, silver necklace inside, ending in a pendant housing a highly polished opal, Fran's birth stone.

"Theo, it's beautiful." She breathed gently. He took it out of the box, gently placing it around her neck, fastening it there. Fran just stood there admiring the beautiful gift.

"I wanted to give it to you now." He explained. "I know I can trust you to do the right thing."

Dr Marx was sitting on a black leather couch within the lobby of the hotel as he slowly sipped champagne with a smug grin on his face. It had taken a lot less time than he'd have imagined for things to go as expected. He was confident that she would realise she didn't have a choice; he just hadn't thought it would happen so quickly.

He twisted off his wedding ring, his usual little ritual for one of his "encounters", and put it into his suit pocket as he finally saw her arriving.

It hadn't escaped his notice that Fran had a certain attractiveness about her. He hadn't given it much thought at first, she normally didn't put much effort into her appearance, normally she was a little plain in his classes, but he got the impression she could be quite a looker if she tried, and he wasn't disappointed. She looked amazing in her simple, red dress. It showed off her figure perfectly.

"Your husband's a lucky man." He complimented her as she sat down. He poured her a glass of champagne.

"Look, I'm here alright." She said coldly. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Try to relax a little." He said gently, moving around beside her and putting his arm around her, handing her the glass. "It'll make the whole thing a lot better for both of us. You might even decide to make it a regular thing."

"There's no chance of that, I love my husband." She told him, gulping the champagne, finishing the glass quickly. "Can we just go?"

"Patience, there's no hurry. Neither of us will be missed until morning." He assured her, pouring her another glass. "Maybe I can give you a little something to settle you down."

He slipped a pill into her glass, before stroking her hair aside, kissing her cheek. She flinched away as soon as he'd touched her.

"You are way too tense." He chuckled.

"I'm not comfortable with this in the first place; I'm certainly not going to hang around in a hotel lobby all night." She said abruptly, putting her handbag down on the edge of the table, near her glass, blocking it from his view. "Can we just go upstairs?"

"Well I guess I can have something arranged." He replied, pulling out his key card, and helping her up. "Come with me."

She picked up her hand bag, following him, leaving the glass behind on the table. Theo made his move, picking up the glass with a napkin, and taking it with him into the bathroom. They had figured that something like this might happen, and so Theo had been in the lobby to watch for Fran's signal, moving her handbag onto the table to block the glass from sight. He pulled out the test tube that Susan had given him. Suspecting he might try this, she had made a visit to the precinct to get a drug testing kit. He pulled out the swab and dipped it into the glass, before replacing it in the test tube and shaking it. Sure enough, on contact with the chemical in the tube, the swab changed colour.

Meanwhile, Fran and Dr. Marx arrived upstairs at the room, passing a room service cart, and stopping outside his room. He used the key card, letting them inside, and made his way over to the desk, where an ice bucket with champagne and a bowl of fresh strawberries were waiting. He poured them each a glass.

"I want some kind of reassurance." Fran stated.

"Reassurance?" He asked.

"It just occurs to me that I need to trust you." She told him. "How can I be sure you still have the essay?"

"Trust me; it's in a safe place." He laughed. "Now, have a seat and enjoy yourself."

She sat down and accepted the glass, taking a sip.

"What about afterwards?" She asked him.

"You want breakfast or something?" He asked her. Fran snorted in disgust.

"I don't even want to be here, never mind stick around any longer than I have to." She sneered at him. "I mean, what's to stop you from not fulfilling your side of the bargain?"

"I always honour my agreements." He told her, sitting next to her and sliding one of the straps of her dress from her shoulder. She shuddered at his touch.

"So if I do this, if I sleep with you, then you swear you'll hand in the essay?" She asked him.

"Yes, of course Fran." He told her. "That's exactly what I mean."

"That's just what I wanted to hear." Susan announced as she stepped out of the bathroom with one of the waiters. "That's quite a proposal you have there. You really are a piece of work!"

"What the hell is this?" He snarled. "Who are you?"

"I'm a cop, and a friend of Fran's." She told him. "Now, I think it's in your best interests to cooperate."

"The cart in the hall." He gasped as he realised how she'd gotten in. "You let her in when you brought up the champagne!"

"She's a cop." He reminded the lecturer. He rounded on Fran.

"Of course it doesn't matter what's said in here, good luck proving I have the essay." He told her. "It's in a safe place..."

There was a knock on the door, which Susan answered. Theo walked in carrying the drug testing kit and the glass of champagne.

"If nothing else we have you for possession of a controlled substance." He commented. "You should be more careful."

Dr. Marx realised he still had some of the pills on him, and that he was indeed bang to rights on that charge.

"Oh by the way, there's someone who wants to see you." Theo continued, ushering in a dark-haired woman. Dr. Marx's face almost hit the floor as his wife entered the room.

"Sweetheart..."

"Don't you DARE try to explain this!" She roared, slapping him hard. Theo and the waiter both noticeably winced at the impact. "Theo told me everything."

"Call me Mr. Martin." Theo introduced himself, showing Dr. Marx an image from his digital camera, showing him with Fran. "A picture's worth a thousand words right?"

"I got copies of all your credit card statements from the desk!" She snapped. "You've been here dozens of times!"

"Honey, please I..."

"Save it for the court room." She replied, grabbing his hand, showing him the tan line where his ring normally sat. "Don't bother putting that back on. I'm glad you like this hotel room, because you're going to be staying here for some time."

With that, she turned on her heel and made to leave, stopping before Susan.

"I'll give you permission to search my husband's office." She told her. "You'll find what you need there."

"Good luck explaining this to the education authority." Susan told him. "Something tells me they take a dim view of lecturers who coerce students into sexual relationships."

"I've lost everything." He gasped, realising the position he was in. He was completely and utterly defeated.

"Something tells me more complaints will be made once news of your arrest breaks." Susan informed him. "My colleagues will be here shortly. Have a nice night."

With that, they all left the room, leaving him to his impending fate. As they left, Fran turned to Susan.

"So why is this guy here?" She asked her.

"I needed a second independent witness." Susan told her. "He was putting the champagne in the room when I arrived."

"Thanks for agreeing to help." Fran addressed him, leaning in and reading his name tag. "Terry."

"No need to thank me, I always hated that guy." He replied. "He's a cheap skate. He should learn to tip better."


	32. The Marx Case

Susan, Fran, Theo and Mrs. Marx arrived at her house a short while later, after leaving the police to pick up her husband for questioning. Despite having borrowed Theo's coat, Fran was still shivering a little.

"I feel like I need to shower for a week." She muttered to Theo under her breath. The thought of is touch, his very gaze still sickened her, but she didn't want Mrs. Marx to hear her. She understood that despite her anger and disgust with her husband, it would still be hard to visualise him like that with her. It was rare anyone was grateful to the messenger of bad news, but in Fran's case, she was a lot more than a messenger, she was the matinee show. It must have been eating her up inside to bring her to her home.

"The living room's in there." Mrs. Marx told them, gesturing Theo and Fran inside. There was a Teenager tending to three children, who seemed to range between about 5 and 8 years old. The Teenager got up and crossed over to Mrs. Marx looking at her apologetically.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Marx; the kids just wouldn't go to bed until you came back." She explained. It really was terribly late for them all to still be awake, but under the circumstances Mrs. Marx wasn't that concerned. She just handed the girl some money, breathed a gentle thank you for coming over at short notice and gestured her outside.

"Kids, go to your bed." She ordered them.

"Are you ok mom?" The oldest asked. It was a boy about 8 years old. It was clearly Dr. Marx's son, even at this young age he looked a lot like him. If he had a moustache and a tweed jacket, he would have been a four foot version of him. Fran pitied Mrs. Marx at this point. She knew that she still had the uncomfortable task of explaining to her children that their daddy would not be coming home to them. If he'd just had an affair, then there might have been a chance for forgiveness, but after the scale of his deception and betrayal, there would be no reconciliation. There would be no chance for reconciliation. That much was obvious from her demeanour.

"Go to bed Kevin, mommy's fine." She lied.

"But mom, why have you been crying?" He asked. "Where's daddy? Who are they?" He gestured to the strangers standing in the room.

"You're daddy's away for the night." She continued, obviously trying hard not to upset her children anymore than was necessary. They still had to get some sleep. "I'll talk to you all in the morning, just go to bed."

Fran watched them go, unable to feel anything but pity. At that point, her situation didn't seem so bad. Mrs. Marx and the kids were the real casualties in all of this. The kids had been sent to their bed, and in the morning they were going to learn that their parents would be splitting up, and most likely their daddy would be losing his job and going to court. It was a conversation that she didn't envy Mrs. Marx for having to go through.

"Mrs. Marx..."

"Call me Sharon." She interrupted Susan. "I never want to use that name again." Susan placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, looking into her eyes.

"I have no idea how much this would hurt. There are people you can talk to, but for now I would recommend that you get a relative or a neighbour to..."

"I'll call my sister in the morning." She interrupted her again, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "I'll take you to my husband's office."

Susan followed her down the hall to his office and showed her the door. She tried the handle, but it was locked.

"He always locks it; he says he has private papers in there." Sharon stated. "Now I know why I guess."

"Sometimes doors just get jammed." Susan told her, pulling out a pair of gloves. "Could I suggest you turn away?" Sharon looked at her curiously for a second, but got the idea after a few seconds, turning her back. Susan knelt beside the door, before pulling out some lock picks and working over the lock, opening the door. She put away the lock picks and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I told you it might just be jammed." She said knowingly. Sharon gave a half-hearted smile before making to leave. Susan stopped her.

"I need you to be here to witness my search." Susan informed her. "I have to warn you, we may see things in here you won't like."

"Just get on with it." She replied, gesturing Susan inside. It didn't take long before Susan found what she was looking for; his brief case was sitting right on his desk.

"The code's 121000." Sharon informed her. Susan looked at her for a second as tears came to her eyes. "It's Kevin's date of birth."

Susan put in the code, swinging open the briefcase, finding the essay sitting right there at the top of his paperwork. She came over to Sharon's side as the woman wept, by now having no way of being able to deny to herself what her husband had done. This was the final nail in the coffin for them. Susan closed the brief case, and then led Sharon back to the living room, closing the office door behind them. She let her sit down with Theo and Fran as her heart broke over her husband's sickening betrayal.

"I've loved him for all these years." She whimpered. "How could I not have known?"

"He's managed to fool a lot of people for a long time." Susan reminded her, pulling off her gloves. "Now, this isn't going to be comfortable but I need to call my colleagues to do a proper search..."

"You're not a cop are you?" Sharon asked her.

"Not an Ocean Bluff one, no." Susan admitted. The woman had been quick enough to catch onto that one, but then again, there were signs. "Not for another three days at least, but I am a cop. I know this is going to be hard, but at the moment your husband doesn't know that."

"Well he won't hear it from me." Sharon spat bitterly. "He deserves everything he gets."

"OK, we're going to have to play a little light and loose with the facts." Susan told her. "I never searched your husband's office, the officers who are coming here did. Also, the door was unlocked when they arrived, do you understand?"

"Perfectly." Sharon replied. "That's what my statement will say."

Susan smiled at her and took her hand gently, kneeling down to where she could look into her eyes. "You've been incredibly brave Sharon." Susan told her warmly. "I know this must be hard. I've seen love make people forgive a lot in my time, I wouldn't be happy, but I'd understand if you had tried to cover for him."

"Not after what he's done." She sobbed, her tears beginning again. "If he'd just had an affair I might have understood eventually, but this? I would never have thought he would have been capable of this, I don't even know him anymore!"

As Susan left to call the cops and relay the information to them, Sharon gestured to Fran for a hug, making her feel a little uneasy. Sharon had every reason to hate her, but here she was accepting her as a victim. Fran couldn't refuse; she leant across, holding her warmly in a strange camaraderie that only they could understand.

"I'm really sorry you had to find out like this." Fran told her. "I can't imagine what this is like for you."

"You needn't apologise, my husband is the only one to blame." Sharon responded, parting from her. "You're a very special woman. My husband almost blackmailed you into letting him rape you and you can still feel sorry for me. Your husband is a lucky man."

"I tell myself that several times every day." Theo replied, putting his arm around Fran.

"My colleagues will be here shortly." Susan informed her as she returned to the room. "We'll stay with you until they're finished here."

"Thank you." Sharon replied quietly. It was a night none of them was likely to forget in a hurry, Sharon had watched the lie that had been her marriage fall apart in the space of a couple of hours, Theo had been there for his wife during this, making him feel more at ease with being unable to help her in her during her trial.

Fran had felt best of all though. The encounter with Dr. Marx in the library had left her shaken and doubting herself, but having faced him, she now knew that her doubts were unfounded. She looked to her Master's Stripes and smiled. This was her real trial. Having come through this, she now knew beyond any doubt that she deserved them.

Susan was called into Commissioner Harris' office the following morning, obviously to discuss the case. She arrived in his office, taking a seat opposite him at the desk.

"You managed to get an impressive catch there Rhodes." Harris told her, putting a file on the desk. "We've confirmed the DNA match, and he was indeed the father of that child, so we can now prove at least one affair."

"I'm glad to hear it." Susan replied, gauging his mood. He was a little stern, and she couldn't quite judge if he was unhappy about something.

"He also confessed to possessing a narcotic and spiking Mrs. Martin's drink, though mysteriously the glass and its contents have disappeared." He commented.

"Sir?" She asked. She was a little confused by that, she was sure Theo gave the glass to an officer.

"He also confessed to blackmailing Mrs. Martin, and told us where to find the essay." He continued. "We've contacted the education board already. He's been struck off, they've already reported over a dozen complaints being filed since news of his arrest broke."

"So it sounds like all is well then." Susan remarked, beginning to get up.

"Sit down Rhodes!" He commanded with authority. Susan nervously returned to her seat. He came to the other side of his desk, sitting on it, and staring her in the face intently. She now realised this was the part where she was being scolded.

"The testing kit was signed out in your name." He stated coldly, holding up the offending form. "You aren't on duty with us yet. If the defence had found out you signed that out, and worse, that a CIVILIAN carried out the test, then the evidence would have been thrown out of court and the case would have been damaged!"

Susan looked a little sheepish at this. He proceeded to put the form through his paper shredder. "This morning I found a breakages form stating that one of our testing kits was broken my accident. Also, as I told you before, the champagne which was spiked was not found. I presume you understand."

Susan nodded. In order to preserve the case, she needed to change her statement to remove all mention of the testing kit. Since he had been found with the pills and confessed to spiking the drink, they didn't need the glass. It would only end up weakening the case if they found out the test was done out with a forensics lab, and it was now Marx's word against theirs that it had happened. She knew she could get Theo to change his statement without any real trouble, and was confident that the waiter would have been convinced to forget that part when he was questioned.

"Also, the door to Dr. Marx's office was locked when we arrived and we had to force it open since he had the key in his effects at the prison." He explained. Susan again nodded in understanding.

"Also, it's a good thing you started with us three days ago, or any evidence you gathered would be inadmissible isn't it?" He asked, handing her a Lieutenant's badge. Susan handed in her own badge and accepted it quickly, nodding again in understanding.

"I don't know how they do things in San Francisco, but your actions seriously jeopardised the case. It's fortunate this mess was able to be cleaned up, but your actions very nearly caused him to walk free!" He stated. "I suggest you seriously rethink how you do things."

"Sorry sir." She whispered, accepting the reprimand in good grace. She got up to leave.

"Rhodes!" He announced, stopping her at the door. She turned to look at him, catching him offering her a friendly smile. "Off the record, I know things happen, and I know sometimes rules get bent to do the right thing. In future, if you MUST bend the rules, try not to be so sloppy about it."

"Off the record I'll bear that in mind." She replied with a smile.

"Sharon Marx mentioned you by name." He responded. "She had nothing but praise for you and the way you handled the case. You made a real impression on her. The way you handled the witness lets me know I was right about you. Welcome to OBPD Lieutenant Rhodes."

"Thank you sir." She replied, beginning to leave. "I'll see you in three days..."

"You started three days ago remember?" He reminded her. "See you tomorrow."

She just nodded and left without another word. She knew better than to push her luck and ask for those days back, they needed to cover their version of events. She pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial.

"Jarrod, can you help me move my stuff to my apartment?" She asked him. "I'm starting my new job a little earlier than expected, so I'll need everything in tonight."

She sniggered a little as she heard his reply.

"I'm sure we can manage to make a night of it. You bring the movie; I'll order the take out." With that, she hung up and made her way back to JKP. Instead of three days, she now only had an afternoon to move her stuff, but that couldn't ruin her mood. Despite losing three days off, she couldn't help smiling. If she had any nerves about the move before, she didn't now. She now knew that Ocean Bluff was where she belonged.

Later in the day, Fran made her way into the college library to study. She had already spoken to Susan and had made her statement according to the official version of events. Having already lost nearly three days of study time, she was eager to just sit down and get some work done. She was interrupted as a shadow cast across her book.

"Excuse me, are you...are you Francine Martin?" Another student asked her nervously. Fran looked up at her curiously.

"Yes, I am." She replied. "Call me Fran."

"I'm Karla." She introduced herself, taking a seat. "I wanted to...thank you."

"Thank me?" Fran asked her. The young woman nodded in response.

"Dr. Marx did something similar to me." She replied, causing Fran to understand. "I was in his freshman class last year. He kept hanging around me for weeks, but I wasn't strong enough to do anything about it."

"I don't understand..."

"This morning I made a complaint." She interrupted Fran. "This morning I went to the dean and told him what he'd done. I'd never have been able to do that if it wasn't for you."

Fran smiled at her and took her hand in her own.

"I nearly ended up being a victim." Fran told her honestly. "Some good friends gave me the courage to stand up to him."

"I don't think you realise what you've done." Karla giggled. "The dean's office was queued out the door. Complaints from students and former students have been flooding in all morning." Fran's jaw hung open in amazement.

"I knew he was a creep but..."

"You've done a lot of people a great service by exposing him." Karla told her. "Just like me, nobody would come forward. We were all too scared no one would believe us."

"I'm just glad he can't do this to anyone else." Fran stated. "Something tells me he won't be teaching anymore."

"Well I just wish some of us had more strength like you." Karla sighed, pulling back her hair.

"Did you...you know...accept?" Fran asked her. Karla nodded, a tear beginning to roll down her face. Fran reached across, hugging her warmly.

"I didn't think I had a choice!" She murmured, holding Fran tightly. "I didn't think anyone would believe me, I thought I'd get kicked out..."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Fran assured her, parting from her. "He's the only one to blame in all of this."

Karla nodded as she wiped away some tears. She caught a glance of Fran's Stripes. Fran noticed her looking and pulled back her sleeve to show it fully.

"I got this tattoo a short time ago." She informed her. "It's a symbol of courage and strength."

"It's a nice pattern." Karla commented. "Maybe I need one."

"This doesn't give me that courage and strength." Fran told her, holding her hand. "That comes from the heart. You've shown you have that by speaking up. You have every right to feel proud of yourself."

Karla nodded and picked up her bag, preparing to leave.

"I just needed to say thank you." She replied, smiling the kind of smile someone could only give after having a tremendous burden lifted from their lives.

"You're welcome." Fran told her as she left. With that, Fran felt her chest lifting and a huge smile crossing her face as she opened her books. Now there was nothing that could stop her. If she put her mind to it, Master Vulpes could achieve anything."


	33. New Arrivals in Ocean Bluff

Almost a week later, Casey came into JKP with Camille and Holly. Today Theo was taking care of the gym, allowing him to take a look at the new restaurant. He came in finding RJ and Finn finishing off the woodwork, while Lily was busy with a staple gun finishing with the seat covers. He looked around, incredibly impressed with how much they had accomplished without the aid of professional tradesmen.

RJ had kept the decor largely in the style of the old restaurant, with few changes. The brightly coloured tiled were dusty, but nothing a good mopping wouldn't fix. Finn had done a magnificent job with the new wood panelling. He had just finished hanging the new sign on the north wall when he noticed Casey pushing the stroller into the room.

"Hello there!" Lily gushed, putting down the staple gun and rushing over to Holly's pushchair, coming down to her knees to look into her face. Since Holly had been born, she was taking every opportunity she could to fawn over the little girl. Lily always innocently maintained that it was simply practice for when her own little one arrived, but the others had more than a little bit of a suspicion that it was much to do with hormones and the formation of maternal instinct than anything else. "Casey, Camille, how are you both?"

"Tired!" They both groaned simultaneously.

"It's alright Lily, you can hold her." Camille told her, seeing the look in her eyes. Lily beamed broadly as she unclipped the little girl from the stroller and cradled her closely, wandering around the room. The little girl gurgled contentedly in her arms. Despite her young age, Lily had held her so many times that she was entirely comfortable in her grasp. RJ came over to greet them.

"This place looks great." Casey complimented him, looking around. "I can't believe you got finished so quickly."

"I could never have done it without the help of a good crew." RJ stated as Finn arrived, dusting off his hands. "Dad's been working like a Trojan. Theo's been great, and I could even count on Jarrod and Dom once in a while."

"It looks almost ready." Camille said as she took a seat. Her slightly reddened, sleep-deprived eyes stood as a testament to how little sleep they got now that Holly was in their lives. They loved her dearly, though the night feeds definitely took a lot out of them. Finn just laughed as he saw her yawning, getting a lot of memories of his own experiences of early parenthood.

"So when was her last feed?" He asked her.

"Somewhere between one and five." She yawned in response. "I lost track."

"That sounds familiar." He replied.

"So are you almost ready to bring the furniture back?" Casey asked him. RJ got that sly little smile on his face that usually meant trouble. Casey began slowly shaking his head as he realised he had walked into that one. "Oh no RJ..."

"Come on man, Dom and Jarrod are going to be over here soon." He told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Even Gabby's going to be helping us."

"Alright, when do you want to go?" He asked. RJ turned him around, pointing out the door, to the rental truck waiting outside.

"You aren't very observant. You walked right past it." He told him. "Let's go Tiger."

Master Finn took the opportunity to take a break at this point, sitting down with Camille. He had indeed been working hard to help RJ get the restaurant open in time, and now the effort of weeks of long days had taken their toll. He looked over to where Camille was watching Lily with the baby, happily wandering around the room, bouncing her gently and making faces at her.

"So are you getting used to having Holly around?" He asked her, noting her tired, though contented look on her face.

"You know, she spends 16 hours a day sleeping, and when she isn't sleeping, she's eating, peeing, pooping, spitting up on me or eating." She replied as a smile crossed her face. "Before that would have sounded like torture, but now, I couldn't imagine it being any other way. She's wonderful."

"I remember RJ at that age." Finn told her fondly, watching the tell-tale sign of Lily stopping in her tracks, before pressing a hand gently to the little tyke's nappy. "It looks like we're getting a visitor soon."

"Could I get the changing bag?" Lily asked her.

"It's alright, I'll do it." Camille said, beginning to get up. Lily held up a hand to stop her.

"It's alright, you look tired." Lily responded quickly, taking the bag. "I kind of need the practice anyway."

"You know if you can avoid even one poopy nappy in the day, that's an offer you should take." Finn told her. Camille nodded to let Lily know it was alright. Lily smiled like she'd just won a state lottery and bounded over to one of the corner tables, unrolling the changing mat.

"Lily, be careful. That table looks awfully high." Camille rushed out in a panicked tone. Finn put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

"Relax; she knows what she's doing." He told her as Lily skilfully whipped off the soiled nappy and deposited it in a diaper bag with one hand, before cleaning her up and reaching into the bag for a fresh one. "Seriously, if she becomes any more practiced at that, she'll be doing it blindfolded by the time her little one arrives."

Camille was still a little nervous, it was only natural, but she couldn't help smiling as she saw the expression on Finn's face and the gleam in his eye as he mentioned the baby. Everyone knew how much he was looking forward to becoming a grandfather. He was almost as excited as Lily and RJ were. He would do anything for his son and his daughter-in-law, as was evident by how much he'd done to help re-open the restaurant. Lily came back with Holly as she began to whimper slightly.

"I think she's ready for mommy to feed her." Lily told her, handing the baby to Camille.

"It seems about the right time." She groaned, accepting the little girl. "Can I go upstairs?"

"Sure, no one's up there, pick a room." Lily invited her, gesturing towards the door. Camille made her way upstairs, leaving Lily with her father-in-law.

"You definitely handled that well." He complimented her as she packed away the changing things. "By the time your little one arrives, I'm sure you'll be a natural."

"Thanks." She told him with a bright smile on her face, cradling her expanding belly with her hand. "We can't wait."

"Well I'm sure you'll handle it all well." He assured her. "I just wish I was as ready for RJ as you two are. It was a pretty wild experience."

"I'm looking forward to it." She assured him. "Now all we need to do is finish up in here in time for the grand re-opening."

"It just remains for us to get the furniture in and clean up." He stated.

"What do you think the others are coming around for?" Lily asked him with a sly grin. At exactly that moment, Gabby, Fran, Dom and Jarrod arrived, laughing and joking, blissfully unaware of what awaited them. Finn had to try hard to suppress a laugh as he realised how Lily had set them up.

Meanwhile, Susan was sitting in a patrol car on the freeway at the edge of town, remembering how much she hated the traffic shift. She sat, staring intently at the scanning equipment and hoping it would register something to break up the interminable boredom. She almost balked as a huge, greasy, unappetising burger was rammed under her nose.

"You want some?" Her partner for the day asked her. Susan just politely shook her head and shoved it away. He just shrugged and began wolfing it down. She knew he would have been unlikely to miss it; he had already eaten two and had another three in the bag on his lap.

Murphy was quickly making the wrong impression on his superior officer. He had demonstrably no ambition at all, clearly one of many cops whose main objective was to make it through the day with as little effort as possible, collect his salary every month and his pension when he retired in a few years, presuming he didn't have a heart attack or a stroke before then.

He was a bit taller than Susan, and was somewhere in his forties, but looked older due to years of abusing his own health. His hairline had all but disappeared, and his girth told the story of a man whose idea of exercise was walking to the counter as opposed to using the drive through. Susan didn't mind people who didn't look after themselves, she was by no means a saint herself, enjoying the occasional take out or beers and had known more than one officer who lead a less than ideal lifestyle who proved to be an asset in the field, but this guy had marked himself as being as useless from the moment she met him. He certainly showed no effort in trying to make a good impression.

"So where are you from?" He forced out through a mouthful. Susan wrinkled her nose as she swept some more crumbs from her uniform and prayed for the scanner to pick something up.

"I'm from San Francisco." She replied. "Born and raised."

"So were you a cop anywhere else?" He asked, slurping some soda. Susan shook her head in response. "Me, I've been a cop all over. I've been to 12 states already. I always like to move around, try a new horizon. I prefer the smaller towns to the cities though. It's quieter, you know, a little cosier and friendlier."

'A lot less work you mean.' Susan thought to herself cattily as she just nodded in understanding while wordlessly begging the scanner to activate, and checking yet again that it was on. This was an incredibly long shift, and she couldn't wait to get off the clock so she could go to the restaurant. She knew Jarrod and the others were helping finish off the refurbishment and that they would likely be getting together afterwards. She couldn't help drifting off for a second as she thought about Jarrod. It was then that the scanner mercifully bleeped and she saw the offending dark red Cadillac blasting past. She read the scale and it was way over the limit.

'Thank God for that.' She thought to herself as she gunned the engine, blasting off in pursuit of the car.

"Watch it, I nearly lost my lunch!" Murphy complained snatching the bag closely as his food almost spilled onto the floor. Susan just ignored him and hit the siren as she drew closer.

In the Cadillac, the driver was concentrating on a lot, but not on his speedometer. It had been a long drive from Briarwood, but he knew he needed to make his new start here, and when Toby had told the team that he planned to open a branch of the Rock Porium in Ocean Bluff, Xander had been only too quick to accept. Things in Briarwood had gotten a little too much for him to bear. As the siren flashed behind him, he craned his neck to the rear view mirror and saw the patrol car behind him, indicating in towards the breakdown lane. He groaned loudly.

"Wha..." Chip mumbled as she stirred out of his sleep in the passenger seat. He didn't want to leave Briarwood, he had only agreed to go for a short time to help Xander set up the new store and hire staff. He only agreed to go as long as Daggeron came too. It was bad enough that he had to leave Vida behind potentially for months; he could live without letting his studies as a knight slip as well. He looked behind them as Xander pulled in.

"Nice one Xander." He said sarcastically. "We're in town less than a minute and you get us pulled over."

"It's not like I meant it." He groaned in his thick Australian accent. "How was I meant to know I was speeding?"

"Check the speedo?" Chip suggested. He leant over to the back seat where Daggeron was lying across both seats sleeping. Despite his sharp senses, he was able to sleep through just about anything, including, apparently, police sirens. Chip jabbed him in the ribs a few times, rousing him.

"Daggeron, Mr. Personality's gotten us pulled over." Chip told him. "Sit up and put your seatbelt on."

"Alright." He complained, complying with the request and rubbing his eyes. "Couldn't you wait until we got to the shop before you started earning speeding tickets?"

"Never mind, I think I can get us out of this." Xander said with a cheeky little smile as he saw Susan getting out of the car and putting on her hat.

"When are you going to learn?" Chip groaned as he immediately saw through his long time friend, realising what he had in mind.

"Learn what?" Xander asked.

"Plan Xander doesn't work." Chip and Daggeron chorused together. Susan arrived beside the window and tapped it, prompting Xander to roll down the window.

"Do you realise how fast you were going?" She asked him.

"Sorry there, I'm new in town." He replied, presenting a hand to her. "Hi, I'm Xander..."

"Well you shouldn't be new to road traffic laws." Susan stated, ignoring his hand. "Step out of the car please. All of you."

The three men got out of the car onto the road.

"You two, over there and keep your hands where I can see them." She instructed Chip and Daggeron. They both dutifully complied with the instruction. She gestured Xander over to a place she could see all three of them at once. Murphy was far more interested in his food than watching her back, so she needed to cover them all herself. "You were going 70 in a 55 zone."

"Sorry about that." He replied leaning nonchalantly on the hood of the car. "I'm new in town; we're here to open the new record store..."

"Licence and registration please." Susan snapped, completely unimpressed by his attempt to charm his way out of this situation. He looked to the others who were taking great amusement in the latest failure of 'plan Xander'.

"I'm going to write you a ticket." She told him, pulling out a ticket book. Chip murmured a small incantation under his breath. It was only then that Daggeron noticed he was holding his wand. Susan seemed to stop in her tracks for a second.

A thick fog descended in her mind. Her thoughts all seemed to disappear at once; it was like someone had pulled a thick blanket over her mind. Shaking her head clear, she saw the three men standing before her, and realised she had to have pulled them over.

"Uh..." She muttered, trying to remember what she was doing. Xander realised what had happened.

"So, like I was saying, we're new in town, we're looking for this address." He told her, handing her the piece of paper Toby had written the address of the new shop on. "Can you tell us where it is?"

"Umm sure." She replied, still completely confused. She couldn't remember pulling them over, or why. For some reason they were all on the side of the road. "It's the next exit on the freeway. Go straight along the road, then its first street on the left. Look for the doughnut place, its right next door."

"Thanks for that officer..."

"Rhodes." She replied.

"I'm Xander." He told her, handing her a card. "We're opening the new record store this week. You should drop by."

"Um...sure." She replied, taking the card and putting it away. "Drive safely."

With that, she went back to the patrol car, watching them drive away. This time Chip was driving to be on the safe side. She got back into the car where Murphy was working on his fourth burger.

"So did you give them a ticket?" He asked her. It was only then that Susan realised she had her ticket book with her, though it was still untouched, so she knew she hadn't written any tickets. She shook her head as she wondered why she'd even have it out if she wasn't using it.

"I let them off with a warning." She told him. "Anyway, it's almost end of shift. Want to head back to the station?"

"I wouldn't say no." He mumbled through his burger. Susan recoiled from the display.

"Look, if you must eat, please don't talk with your mouth full." She snapped as she put the car into gear and drove back to the precinct.

Back at Jungle Karma, Lily, Finn, Fran and Gabby were finishing off cleaning when Jarrod and Dom came in carrying a familiar-looking table.

"I thought Casey and RJ were getting the furniture." Jarrod stated. "Some guy just delivered this stuff."

"They are, but there was only enough furniture for the old place." Lily explained as they put it down. "He spent ages on the internet to find a company that stocked the same style as the old furniture to fill the rest of it. You just signed the delivery for the new stock."

"Why wouldn't he take the opportunity to re-decorate completely?" Jarrod asked. "It's not like it was the most stylish of decors the last time."

"You have to understand how much this place means to him." Lily continued to explain as they kept working. "He only bought the original furniture because he got a cheap job lot when he first opened the restaurant, but he's been around it all so long that it's got sentimental value. It's kind of like his personal stamp on the place."

"I guess that's why he bought furniture just like it when the Overdrive Rangers burned the place down." Dom replied. "So it's going to be just like the old place, only bigger?"

"That's what he's going for." Lily told them. "He told me that people haven't been going to any restaurant, they've been coming to HIS restaurant. So he wants to stick by the old regulars and make them feel comfortable while he has plenty of room for extra customers."

"I guess that makes sense." Fran chipped in, fetching a couple of chairs. "It looks like RJ and Casey are back with the rest of it."

"Well let's get moving then." Finn called out, rallying the press-ganged employees. "The sooner we finish, the sooner RJ can start cooking our payment."

Meanwhile, Xander opened the door, stepping into the deserted unit that would house the new record store. Right now, it was completely bare, having been cleared out by the previous tenants. Daggeron and Chip came in behind him.

"The shelving units and the stock will arrive tomorrow." Chip reminded him. "Until then, we just need to clean this place up."

Xander flipped out his wand and waved it around. Within a split second, every speck of dust had disappeared, and the walls re-painted to match the design of the Briarwood branch. Another wave and the floor had been thoroughly cleaned, showing the bright, white linoleum.

"It's clean." He snapped, making his way upstairs. "Now, let's get some take out or something and check out this apartment."

Daggeron shook his head in disbelief. Chip's actions he could understand, he was trying to keep Xander out of trouble, but the Green Ranger had thoroughly abused his magic to an amazing degree. If it wasn't for the fact that the shelves and stock were being delivered, he had no doubt he'd have used his magic to bring them here too.

"Leave it Daggeron, he's not himself." Chip assured him, realising what he was thinking. "We both know the real reason he came here."

"Well he needs to snap out of it pretty quickly." He commented, gesturing to the now clean and tidy store. "You know that no good comes from abusing magic."

"Well I'm still hoping to talk him out of this." Chip stated. "It's not good for him to run away from this."

"I'll see about the takeout." He responded. "I saw a Chinese place not far from here. You go and talk to him."

With that, Daggeron left, leaving Chip to go into the apartment to deal with a very unhappy Australian. He flipped out his morpher, dialling Vida.

"Hey there, you asked me to call when we arrived." He told her. "Yeah, we're all here safely. Xander nearly got a ticket, but I put a glamour on the cop, so he got away with it."

His heart soared just to hear her voice on the other end. He didn't want to come here, but he knew that Xander was just using this as an excuse to run away from his problems. The situation back in Briarwood had hurt him deeply, but he still hoped he'd realise that all he was accomplishing by coming to Ocean Bluff was cutting himself off from his friends when he could use them. He didn't want to leave her, and he already missed his girlfriend terribly.

"I promise I'll try, but it won't be easy." Chip replied. "This has really done a number on him. I promise I'll talk to you soon."

With that, he flipped away his cell phone and made his way upstairs to comfort his friend. He knew he'd end up regretting staying in the long run, he just hoped to make him see sense and go home with them before he stayed too long for it be too hard to go back.


	34. The New Jungle Karma

Back in Jungle Karma, the assembled group had just finished putting in the furniture and cleaning up, taking a moment to stand back and admire their handiwork.

"You know we really should be getting paid better." Gabby muttered, looking around. Dom put his arm around her, holding her closely.

"You know this place looks great." He announced, kissing her cheek. "I can't wait for the opening night."

"Well you won't have to wait too long, we re-open Monday." RJ told them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to christen our new ovens with a whole batch of pizzas all around. Casey, if you wouldn't mind helping my lovely wife to get the drinks."

"That won't be a problem." He replied, leading them all upstairs into the apartment. They found Camille lying on the couch, gently sleeping. Obviously she'd managed to get Holly to go to sleep and so was catching up on her rest. Casey gently shook her awake.

"We're finished, the others are coming up." He informed her. Camille just nodded in understanding and got up on the couch, rubbing her eyes. Casey went over to the kitchen with Lily to help with the drinks. Dom and Gabby sat down with her as Jarrod and Master Finn pulled up bean bags.

"So you've finished with the restaurant." She yawned, coming to. "I guess RJ was right when he said he knew it could be done."

"Of course." Fran announced as she arrived in the room, having locked up the restaurant. "There's nothing we can't accomplish."

"So how did the exams go?" Finn asked her.

"I'll be told officially soon, but I feel really confident." She told them. "The new school year doesn't start for months, so I need to wait until nearer the time to start looking for work."

"Have you heard anything about the court case yet?" Camille asked her. Fran nodded.

"The case begins in a few weeks." She told them. "I'm just glad to see that something's being done. I was worried that a lot of people would pull out, a lot of the cases don't have much proof and will probably end without a conviction."

"Well I'm sure that he'll go down for some of them at least." Gabby assured her. "I just feel sorry for his wife and kids. Can you imagine having to explain that to them?"

"Hey guys." Theo greeted them as he arrived, finishing his shift at the gym at long last. He made his way to Fran's side and kissed her, taking off his jacket. "RJ seems to be having the time of his life making pizzas in the new kitchen."

"What do you expect?" Lily asked handing out a couple of drinks as Casey brought in a cooler. "He's been dying to try them out."

"Hey there beautiful." Jarrod greeted Susan as he saw her arrive. He held her tightly as she came in, but he could tell by the expression on her face that something was troubling her. "What's the matter?"

"It's the weirdest thing. I had a really strange day." She replied.

"I'm sure it's first day nerves." Jarrod assured her. "How was your partner?"

"I'm glad we're assigned partners each day." She muttered, trying not to think about Murphy. "He was a thoroughly useless piece of work. No, it's more than that. I pulled over a guy today."

"What for?" He asked her.

"That's just it, I can't remember." She replied. "I don't mean I forgot about it after, I mean it was like, I pulled him over, then as I was talking to him I suddenly forgot why and just sent him on his way."

"That is weird." Lily remarked. "Do you know who he is?"

She suddenly remembered him giving her a card and pulled it out of her pocket.

"Some Australian guy." She said, handing over the card. "He said he was opening a new record store not far from here."

"This is just a couple of streets away." Lily commented. "Hey RJ, you said we still need records for the juke box right?"

"I sure did." He replied as he came into the room with some garlic bread and some dips to keep them going while the pizzas cooked. "Why?"

"This place is opening on Monday too." She informed him, handing over the card. "Maybe we can do some kind of deal with them."

"It's always worth a shot." He replied with a shrug. "I'll head over there in the morning."

"Anyway, I've got some big news too." Lily told them. "I got a letter from Dad."

"He had some great news." RJ announced. Lily beamed broadly as she prepared to relay his news.

"He's being allowed to buy out the last year of his commission." She told them. "He'll be coming home for good this summer. He'll almost be in time to see the baby being born."

"That's wonderful news." Finn responded, coming over and hugging her. "You must be thrilled."

"I really am." She stated.

"So how are they all?" Casey asked her.

"He says Megan and the kids are fine." Lily replied, handing around a picture. "Stephanie's getting so big. Apparently Jack's really enjoying school, he's really coming along well."

"Well it won't be that much longer until you see them again." RJ assured her as he arrived with the first of the pizzas. "Well guys, tuck in. It's all fresh and all for you."

"I'll help with the rest." Dom added as he left the apartment with RJ to get the other pizzas. Lily held up a slice for a toast.

"To the new Jungle Karma Pizza." She announced.

"To the New JKP!" They all chorused in response. It had seemed like so long since the place had been open, despite it being less than a month. It somehow seemed too quiet and still without the regular inrush of customers each night, but in two short days, that would all change. JKP would be back in business.

Meanwhile over at the new Rock Porium, Chip went upstairs, finding Xander checking out the apartment. It had been advertised as fully furnished, but that was more than a little bit of a stretch. There was a small coffee table, a couch, a TV smaller than most boom boxes and that was about it. There was a fridge in the corner and a cooker that looked to be about 80 years old. Xander was busy checking through what channels he had.

"What's the bed situation like?" Chip asked him.

"There's a single bed in the other room." Xander replied briskly. "Between that and the couch, one of us is still sleeping on the floor. I guess we can take turns..."

"Xander, this is stupid." Chip interrupted him. "You can't live like this."

"Well I admit that the place is a little Spartan." He admitted, looking around thoughtfully. "We can get a camp bed in the morning, and I guess I can get by until I can get some more furniture..."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Chip interrupted him. "Your friends are back in Briarwood. You don't really want to move out here."

"Why wouldn't I?" Xander asked him as he continued to fiddle with the tiny television in an attempt to ignore him. Chip had been insufferable since this whole thing began. He kept insisting on getting him to try and stay. "I mean, I know I was a manager there, but it was always going to be Toby's shop. I had nowhere to progress to. Here I can run the show, put my own mark on things..."

"So now you're all ambitious and career-minded?" Chip asked him. "Xander, you haven't shown any interest in moving until..."

"Until I had the opportunity." He interrupted the Yellow Ranger sharply. "I know I've always been a bit of a joker, I know I've never been the most serious, but we all have to grow up some time Chip."

"Yeah, running away from all your friends and family to live in a crappy apartment in another town all alone shows real growth." He said sarcastically. "Look, just because you have a bruised ego..."

"I do not have a bruised ego!" He snapped, turning away. He went to one of his bags and searched through it, pulling out a bottle of beer. "This'll do for starters."

"Well that's going to help." Chip commented as Xander tried, and failed to find the bottle opener. He instead flicked the cap off on the edge of the coffee table and plopped down on the couch. He had to shift a little to get comfortable, since many of the springs had collapsed, but he eventually satisfied himself, crossing his feet on the table and began drinking. "Look, we both know what this is really about."

"Chip, we've been friends too long." Xander warned him. "Don't go there."

"Why now?" Chip asked him. "You've known Maddie a long time. Why is this such an issue now?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He warned him coldly. "It's pretty clear how things are going on that front, so there really isn't any point going over it. Now, just drop it, grab a beer and sit you ass down on the couch."

Chip grabbed a beer and joined the Green Ranger, shifting uncomfortably on the sofa to get into a decent position. He cracked open the bottle on the table before putting his feet up.

"Oh yes, this is so much better than talking to Maddie." He said sarcastically. Xander just cast him a slightly icy gaze. "I'm just saying, maybe you should have talked to her."

"What's the point Chip?" Xander snarled, rounding on him, snapping to his feet. "She's made it pretty clear where we stand."

"I know how you feel about her." Chip assured him.

"How can you Chip? It's been three years!" He yelled.

"So maybe it's time for her to move on." Chip suggested. "You know what it did to her when Nick left."

"You don't know the half of it." Xander said gently. "I was the one who saw her at her lowest. I saw how much that meant to her, how much it took from her. It showed me so much about her I never would have known, never seen if it hadn't been for that. It killed me to see what she went through."

Chip knew that he had grown close to her in the time since Nick had left Briarwood with his parents. He had promised Maddie he'd be back one day, but so far that hadn't happened. Not only that, but so far he hadn't made any contact with her at all. No phone calls, no letters, nothing. For the first few weeks, Maddie had held it together pretty well. She was upset, sure, but she was coping. Everyone knew she liked Nick; that much had been obvious throughout most of the year they fought together.

Over time though, it became obvious that attraction had been a lot deeper than any of them had realised. She became even more distant and withdrawn from the others. Even Vida had difficulty finding out what was going on with her. As the weeks turned to months, she sunk even deeper into her depression. There were days she wouldn't even leave her apartment, much less go to work or see her friends. It wasn't easy watching her go through that. By the time the first six months had passed and there had been no word from Nick, she was a completely different person. Gone was the bubbly, lively and funny girl they all knew and loved, being replaced by a pale shadow of the woman she once was, drifting lifelessly through her few waking hours like she was barely alive. It was like she had no heart left in her.

Xander had led the charge in the effort to help her. He had virtually forced her out of her apartment and into work each day. He would take her home and listen to her talk for hours about what had been upsetting her. He was there for her at a time she needed someone in her life, someone to just listen to her and understand what she was going through. Unfortunately for him, he had gotten a little too close. Despite promising himself that he wouldn't overstep the mark, he had fallen for her.

"I saw what you did for her, we all did." Chip told him. He had been one of Xander's oldest friends, and so it was only natural that he was the one that he confided in about how he felt about her. He had been supportive of him when he felt guilty, but over time had started to suggest that he had nothing to feel guilty about. "Maddie knows you're there for her. Maybe it's time you told her how you feel."

"What's the bloody point?" He roared, throwing his arms up in anger. "Do you know what I saw every time I went around there to her apartment?"

"Her?" He asked. "Her video camera?"

"That bloody blanket!" He snapped. "No matter how many times I've held her, no matter how many times I've seen her cry or convinced her to get out of that bedroom and stop wallowing in depression, it's still there! Any time I took her home when she'd had a little too much to drink because she was so upset it was there! No matter how much I try it'll always be bloody there!"

"Xander..."

"It's been three years Chip!" He interrupted him aggressively, a couple of tears beginning to form. "When is she going to wake up and realise he isn't coming back? She's still in love with him! How can I compete with that? He left her and hasn't sent as much as one letter or one phone call and she still holds him on that pedestal! How am I meant to compete with Saint Nick?"

He finished his beer and slammed the bottle down on the table, staring at it intently.

"If I ever see that self absorbed son of a bitch again, I hope Maddie's not around, because I swear I'll punch his light out." He said coldly. "I'll take his bloody head off."

"I never knew how badly this had gotten to you." Chip responded. "I knew you were hurt, but I never would have thought about you being like this."

"I know, I'm Xander, the one who tries it on with anything with a pulse and a skirt." He responded, his voice cracking a little. "I know I'm a bit of a joke to you guys, but I seriously love her. Being around her, just being near her and knowing I'll never be with her kills me. That's why I can't go back to Briarwood. I just can't."

"I'm back guys." Daggeron announced, coming into the room carrying a large bag of food containers. Chip cursed his master in his mind for his terrible timing. He was just starting to make progress with him, just starting to understand what was going on in his friend's mind, and more importantly in his heart, but now the moment was gone. Xander took a container and opened it, wiping his face with his wrist.

"Barbecue ribs, my favourite." He murmured, picking up a rib. Daggeron saw the look on his face and realised that he had been crying. He looked to Chip, but the young knight just shook his head. The moment had passed; all they could do now was eat. At least this thing hadn't affected his appetite, if it had' they'd have known that things were bad. Nothing could stop him eating normally.


	35. Mystic Fury

The following morning, RJ and Lily took a walk down to where the new Rock Porium was located, checking out where it was. They arrived in time to see Chip checking the back of a truck to ensure the delivery had arrived, and signing the driver's clip board.

"Where do you want this stuff?" The driver asked him.

"Just move the shelving inside for the time being." He told him, gesturing to the door. "We need to figure out where we want everything to go."

"Hey there." RJ greeted the former Ranger, making his way over.

"Sorry, we don't open until Monday." He informed them.

"Actually we just wanted to talk to you about a little deal." RJ continued, shaking his hand. "I'm RJ, and this is my wife, Lily. Mind if we come in?"

"Charlie, but everyone calls me Chip." He replied, shaking RJ's hand, and then Lily's. He looked at the young couple for a second, sizing up the situation. In some manner, he had a feeling that they were on the level. He gestured them both inside, before going in. They came inside, looking around the store.

"Wow, you guys work fast." Lily stated, seeing that the store was remarkably clean. The unit had been empty for quite some time, so they expected it to need a lot of work, but it was almost as good as new. "I wish you guys were around while we were re-fitting the restaurant. The place looked like a bomb hit it, what's your secret?"

"It wasn't that bad." He said with a shrug. It wasn't as though he could explain that Xander had quite literally waved a magic wand, doing hours of work in the space of a second. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"We own the pizza place a couple of blocks from here." RJ began, giving him a business card. "We got a new jukebox, but we wanted to update the music."

"Well the delivery will be arriving sometime this afternoon." He informed them.

"I was actually thinking of more of a deal than just buying them." RJ continued. Chip noticed Lily bracing her back. He pulled out his wand under the counter so RJ couldn't see it, and gestured to the door into the back room.

"Hold on a second, I think I have a chair in the back room." He told her, putting the gold phone away. He made his way into the storage area and pulled out two wooden chairs that had just appeared there as a result of his magic.

"Thanks, the maternity guides warn you about the back pains, but they never tell you how painful it can be." She answered, taking one of the chairs and taking the weight off her feet. Chip handed the other to RJ, before fetching another chair for himself and sat with them.

"So what kind of deal are you thinking of?" He asked him.

"I was thinking of something mutually beneficial." He suggested. "You see, we'll probably update the music a couple of times a year, so I thought that it would be worth renting the music as opposed to buying it."

"I'm not sure." He said with a slightly unconvinced look on his face. At that point, Xander came into the room, noting the new arrivals. He crossed over to them a curious look on his face.

"This is Xander, he'll be staying and running the place." Chip stated, introducing the Green Ranger. He shook RJ's hand.

"I'm RJ." He introduced himself. "This is my wife Lily."

"Always a pleasure to meet a beautiful lady." He said with a cheeky smile, taking her left hand and kissing it.

"Thanks." She replied with a little look to RJ. She couldn't take his attempt at flirting seriously since she was clearly pregnant and had already been introduced as RJ's wife. "I feel like a beached whale at times."

"So what can I help you with?" He asked them, crouching down with them.

"As I was explaining to Chip, we own the pizza place a couple of blocks from here. We wanted to get some records for the juke box."

"Basically we were hoping to rent the CDs." Lily explained.

"I'm not sure about that." Xander began.

"Let me finish." RJ implored him. "Basically I was thinking that instead of buying the records, we rent them from you at the retail rate."

"In exchange, we have a sticker on the juke box advertising your store as the providers of the music." Lily explained. "We'll also hang an advertising poster in the restaurant somewhere, and arrange a fair employee discount. Say about 60 percent?"

"We were also hoping you could hang this in the store." RJ chipped in, handing Xander a poster. "I think that if we advertise each other, it could help both of our businesses."

"I like that idea." Xander said with a grin, realising it made some sense. "Well, I think we can arrange something."

"Don't you think you should run this past Toby?" Chip asked him.

"Toby sent me here for a reason Chip, I don't need to run every decision past him." Xander reminded his friend. "He might own the name, but it's my name on the lease, it's my store" He extended a hand, shaking RJ's hand to seal the deal.

"The stock should be arriving this afternoon, do you want me to call you when it arrives?" He asked the Wolf Master.

"That would be good thanks." He answered, putting an arm around Lily and stroking her back gently.

"That's the last of it." The delivery man called over as they placed the last shelving unit on the floor a little way from them. "We're just heading off."

"Thanks." Chip replied, waving as he left.

"Anyway, it looks like you have a lot of work to do." Lily remarked, supporting her weight on RJ as she got to her feet. "We'll see you later"

"I'll call when the stock arrives." Xander told them, accepting a business card from RJ. "If you hold on a second I'll get a poster for the restaurant."

RJ thought it was a little curious that he'd just happen to have a poster available for them, but he didn't say anything. Xander went into the storage room, where he used his wand to make one appear. He came back out and handed the new poster to RJ.

"Right, I'll be back to have a look at the music later." He told him. "Bye."

With that, they left, leaving Xander and Chip alone in the store.

"They seem pretty nice." Chip remarked. "Maybe this town won't be so bad after all."

"You're just stoked about the cheap pizza mate." Xander replied sarcastically as he flipped out his wand, getting rid of the chairs that he knew hadn't been in the store a few minutes earlier.

"I guess there's an element of truth in that." He replied with a grin. "Anyway, let's get these shelves moved."

Xander however, just used his wand, causing all the heavy shelving units to move by themselves, taking their place around the store, maximising the use of space. The counter erected itself in the corner nearest the door, and the cash register took its place on top. Daggeron came into the room, a slightly weary look on his face as he saw that the entire shop had been set up, realising there was only one way they could have achieved that so quickly.

"Xander, you shouldn't abuse your magic like that." He chastised him. "It wouldn't have killed you to set this up yourselves."

"I'm not a kid Daggeron, you don't have to treat me like one." He replied, making his way back up to the apartment. He came over to Chip, shaking his head.

"This thing with Maddie's really knocked him for a loop." He commented. "You don't think he's really going to stay do you?"

"I hope not, but he just isn't listening to me." Chip replied with a shrug. "V said that Maddie was asking after him."

"Well that's one thing at least." Daggeron stated. "I know he was getting pretty frustrated at being her emotional crutch."

"I do agree with him on one thing." Chip sighed. "This is all Nick's fault. He had to know how she felt; it wasn't fair of him to get her hopes up like that if he wasn't going to come back."

"I guess he thought she'd move on." Daggeron sighed, hoisting a bag onto his shoulder. "I know I wouldn't have expected her to wait for him."

"I guess that's what hurts Xander the most." Chip put down. "At least if Nick dumped her she would have some closure and could move on."

"Xander will talk when he's good and ready." Daggeron told him. "Now, I saw some thick woods not far from here we can use to train in. We won't be disturbed there."

"Cool, let me get my bow." He responded.

"I've already packed it." He assured the young knight. "Now, let's go."

With that, they locked up the store and left. Xander would be there in case the delivery arrived while they were away training. He clearly wasn't in the mood for company anyway. In the meantime, a little training would take their minds off his situation. It wasn't healthy the way he was distancing himself from his problems.

Meanwhile Fran made her way up to the notice board of the teaching department in her college. She chewed her nails nervously as she prepared to look up her results. She had worked hard for her exams, but she was still as nervous as hell about it. She needed to see the results in black-and-white before she could calm down.

"Hello Fran." Dr. White, one of her tutors greeted her with a bright smile as she made her way up the hall. "I take it you're here for your results."

"I am." She finally managed to stammer out through her unintelligible nervous babbling. "I can't help being nervous, the exams were tougher than I expected, especially the European History test and the French Language..."

"Breathe Fran!" He interrupted her in a chuckle. He had taught her in many of his seminar groups, and was well aware of how twitchy she could be. He could remember how much he panicked when it came to his own results, and so he knew how nervous she had to be. He liked Fran, she had been one of his brightest students, and he had grown fond of her. She smiled in response.

"I was babbling again wasn't I?" She asked. Dr. White just nodded.

"Don't worry, you have every right to be nervous." He assured her. "How is everything?"

"Well apart from this, I'm just waiting for the trial," she told him, "that and looking for shifts at JKP until the new school year starts. I hope one of the schools I've applied to accepts me."

"Any school would be lucky to have you." He told her with authority as they made their way down the hall. "I still can't believe Dr. Marx did that. I've known him for years, he was one of my best students, I can't believe I was so wrong about him."

"He fooled a lot of people." Fran responded, putting a hand on his shoulder. She liked Dr. White, he had been an inspiration to her during her studies. He was the one that had lobbied for her to be advanced in her studies, and taught her in her extra classes to attain her qualifications. He had believed in her a lot, and she was always happy whenever he handed back one of her essays or gave her the results of her latest test. Unlike other lecturers, as well as simply grading the papers, he took the time to write a note on the paper about it's strengths and weaknesses, and to compliment the student on their accomplishments. In many ways, he was a role model to her and she hoped to be like him when she finally got a teaching job.

"Well, we're here." He announced, gesturing to the notice board. He saw the smile slip from Fran's face as she confronted her fate. He whistled, bringing her attention to him and looked into her eyes.

"You have nothing to fear." He assured her. "You can do this."

Fran pulled her student ID out of her pocket and looked for her matriculation number out on the board. She followed the line across to the result.

"I passed!" She shrieked, beginning to bounce around in her excitement. "I passed!"

"The teaching profession is lucky to have you." He replied, offering her his hand. In her excitement though, she ignored it and threw her arms around his neck, holding him in a tight hug. He just laughed and returned the gesture.

"I can't believe it, I graduated!" She shrieked as she parted from him. "I've done it!"

"I never doubted you for a second." He replied. "You're an amazing young woman Fran, you go and celebrate. You deserve it."

"Thanks, I need to go and find Theo and buy some champagne and..."

Her words tailed off as she fell. In her excitement she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and stumbled on the top of the stairs. Dr. White raced down the stairs, finding her lying in a crumpled heap, beginning to moan. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't try to move." He warned her as he pulled out his cell phone.

"My hip." She grunted through her pain. "I've done something to my hip."

"I'll call an ambulance." He told her, dialling as he comforted her. "Just try not to move."

In the woods near Ocean Bluff, Master Phant was taking Gabby through her lessons, working with her on her technique. He smiled as he saw her finish her patterns.

"You're progressing well." He told her as she caught her breath. "Your humming bird spirit is stronger than I would have anticipated."

"Thanks." She told him, mopping her brow with a towel. "I've been working really hard. Dom's giving me some extra lessons. He's really proud of me."

"I'm glad you and Dom are getting along so well." He replied, furrowing his brow. He could hear a tremendous noise not far from his cottage. "I always thought he was good for you and..."

At that point, Chip staggered backwards out of the woods, before falling to the ground. Daggeron followed him, bringing a sword down in a destructive arc. Chip parried the blow and regained his feet quickly.

"What the hell?" Gabby breathed as she watched them fencing. Master Phant stomped on the ground, sending out a shockwave that sent both of them to the ground. As Daggeron tried to get up, he saw Master Phant standing over him, holding the Jungle Mace.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. "Why are you attacking this boy?"

"Easy, it's fine." Chip assured him, arriving behind the elephant master. "He's not attacking me, we're just sparring."

"I'm teaching young Chip here the ways of the sword." Daggeron explained. "I'm sorry, we got a little carried away. We will leave your garden of course."

Master Phant offered him a hand, helping him up. He caught a glance of the insignia on his robe.

"You're Pai Zhuq aren't you?" He asked him. Master Phant looked at him a little curiously and nodded.

"How do you know of such things?" He asked.

"I'm a mystic knight." He explained. "I am the Solaris Knight."

"So you're Leanbow's student eh?" He asked, a smile crossing his lips.

"You know this guy?" Gabby asked. "What's he talking about? Mystic knights?"

"The world has had many defenders over the years, sometimes they pool their resources." He explained. "The ninjas, the Pai Zhuq, the mystics and several other secret societies have collaborated over the years. I met this young man's master Leanbow almost 30 years ago."

Daggeron shifted a little uneasily. He wasn't used to being called a "young man", especially as he was now fast approaching his fifties. Chip cleared his throat to remind him he was there.

"This is my new student Chip." He introduced the young redhead. He came forward, shaking the old Master's hand.

"I'm always pleased to meet a fellow defender." He responded. "I'm Master Phant, and this is my niece Gabby."

"So you guys are knights?" She asked, shaking Chip's hand. "Like, real deal legit knights?"

"We are." Daggeron responded. "Chip here's also an accomplished mage."

"We're in town for a little while." Chip told them. "We're helping my friend Xander open the Rock Porium here."

"The new music store?" Gabby asked him. "I work at JKP, I know RJ was looking to do a deal."

"The guy that talks like he's high all the time?" Chip asked. She nodded in response. "I met him this morning."

"Well let me just say welcome to Ocean Bluff." She stated, picking up her training gear. "I guess I'll be seeing you around."

With that, she left. She needed to get a shower and change before she went on a date with Dom that evening.

"I guess we should be going too." Daggeron chipped in. "Sorry for disturbing you."

"Well you shouldn't leave before you do me one favour." Master Phant said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Sure, anything for a fellow defender." He replied.

"Would you humour an old man and take part in a little sparring?" He asked, drawing into a guard.

"Why not?" Daggeron replied, adjusting his grip on his sword. "It's been a long time since I sparred against a Pai Zhuq."

Theo arrived in the hospital, finding Fran sitting on a wheel chair out in the hall. She had spent a long time taking X-rays, MRI scans and other tests following the fall, and she was glad to see him.

"Fran, I was so worried!" He rushed out, hugging her gently. "Are you alright?"

"My hip hurts a little." She told him. "Mostly I'm just bruised up, but they were a little worried, so they're running tests."

"Mrs. Martin, I've got the results of your tests now." The doctor told her as he arrived. "Perhaps we should talk in my office."

The expression on Fran's face fell. That didn't sound good, what would they have to talk about? She really hoped that her hip was alright, she could use all the shifts she could get while she was waiting to hear back from the schools she applied to. Theo wheeled her into the doctor's office.

"It's bad news isn't it?" She asked him. "It's broken isn't it?"

"No, as we first believed, your hip is just suffering from deep muscle bruising. You should be fine in a couple of weeks." He informed her.

"I knew it would be nothing." Theo told her, hugging her. The doctor though looked uncomfortable. He clearly wasn't finished.

"Mrs. Martin, I'm afraid when we performed the X-ray, we came across an anomaly that we weren't happy with, so we did a few more tests, that's why we've kept you so long." He told her.

"What's wrong? It's nothing serious is it?" She asked him.

"I assure you that it's nothing that will affect your health." He continued, taking a deep breath. "Mrs Martin, we noticed you have quite an extensive medical history from your early life..."

"My father was abusive." She interrupted him. "He used to hit me. Sometimes I ended up in hospital."

"The thing is, it seems some of your injuries might have been a lot more serious than first thought." He told her. "In particular wounds to your stomach."

"He kicked me there a few times." She informed the doctor. "One time they thought I had ruptured my appendix. What's wrong with me?"

"Like I said, it's nothing that will affect your health." He assured her. "It seems that some damage was done to your uterus."

"What?" She whimpered, cradling her stomach. Theo put an arm around her protectively.

"Over time the injuries have built up, maybe some infections have occurred, we won't know unless we run more tests how extensive the damage is." He explained.

"But she'll be OK right?" Theo asked, holding her. He couldn't bear for anything to happen to her.

"Mrs. Martin, the thing is a lot of scar tissue has built up inside your womb. It isn't a condition that will harm you or threaten your life, you've been incredibly fortunate." He sighed, preparing for the worst part. He looked to her sympathetically. He could see that the young couple were terrified, and he hated to have to inform them. "It will make it significantly more difficult for an egg to attach itself to the wall of the uterus."

"What are you saying?" She asked him in a barely audible voice, her tears already starting to fall. She could already see where this was going and was praying it wasn't true.

"I'm afraid that without further tests it won't be clear how extensive the damage is." He told her. "However, I must tell you that it will affect your chances to conceive. It is entirely possible you will never be able to conceive naturally."


	36. The Proper Introduction

Fran made her way slowly out of the doctor's office following her appointment. It was devastating to hear what he had to say. She hadn't planned on having kids right away, but she always wanted to start a family. It had been one of her greatest wishes to have kids, but now that hope had been cruelly dashed. She held her stomach as her tears began. Theo came up behind her and held her closely.

"Fran, talk to me." He implored her, kissing her gently. He had always been a family-minded guy. Despite not getting on well with Luen for all those years, family was always one of the most important things in the world to him. He had dreamed of having children with Fran almost as long as they'd been together. She turned in towards him, burying her face in his chest and wept.

"We'll get through this." He assured her, stroking her hair reassuringly. "We'll be fine."

"He's taken everything from me." She whimpered, holding him tightly. "I hate him Theo, he's ruined everything."

"Fran, there's still a chance." He reminded her. "The doctor just said it might be harder for us to conceive."

"He said it would be almost impossible." She said, pulling away from him a little. "He warned us it might never happen."

"Fran, you can't think like that." Theo told her, trying to look into her eyes. "We have to keep up hope."

She just kept looking away from him. She had never felt so worthless in all her life. It was like she wasn't even a woman anymore. She was empty inside. She was lost in her despair.

"I'll understand if you want out." She muttered under her breath. Theo just looked at her a little hurt by her statement. "If you want to leave I'll understand."

"Fran, you can't possibly think that's what I want." He remarked, feeling his own sadness come over him. "Fran, I'm not going to leave you. I love you."

"I know how much you wanted kids." She stated, turning from him. "I'll never be able to give you that. You deserve someone better than me. You deserve a real woman..."

"Fran, please stop talking like that." He pleaded with her, realising the true extent of her torment. He knew it was important to her to start a family. "Sure I want kids, but even if it never happens, I didn't marry you, fall in love with you to have kids. I married you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"You say that now, but it'll only be a matter of time." She replied, looking to her feet. "I know you'll only grow to resent me."

"Fran, like I said, I married you for better and for worse." He told her, cupping her cheek with his hand and lifting her face to look into her eyes. "Besides, the doctor didn't say we could never have kids. He said it was less likely you'd fall pregnant, but it isn't impossible."

Fran smiled a little. Theo had stood by her through so much. She knew that if he felt even half of her disappointment, then he'd be devastated, but he wanted to stick by her.

"At least we know this now and can deal with it." He assured her. "There are other options, things we can do to increase our chances."

"But..."

"If nothing else, the only thing that makes a family is love." He stated. "There are plenty of kids out there who are desperate for a loving home."

"You would think of adoption?" She asked him. Theo just smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"I want to have a family with you Fran. Who cares if the kid doesn't have my blood in its veins?" He replied warmly, putting his arm around her. Fran put her arm around his waist and pulled into him as they left.

"There's no point in upsetting ourselves over this right now." He told her, squeezing her as he tried to lift her spirits. "If I remember rightly we still have your exam results to celebrate."

Fran wasn't really in the mood to celebrate, but she knew Theo was only trying to cheer her up. She nodded and followed on as he led her from the hospital. It still pained her to think that she might never be able to give Theo the family they both wanted so dearly, but she knew that he was standing by her, and that meant more to her than anything.

Chip and Daggeron came back into the Rock Porium, finding the stock had been delivered and was already stacked on the shelves. They knew Xander couldn't possibly have accomplished that by now without magic, but their warnings would fall on deaf ears. He came into the room with RJ, wolfing down a slice of pizza.

"Chip, you should try this." He told him, gesturing to the pizza. "It's called a Thrilla Gorilla, it's got bananas. It's amazing!"

"Always pleased to know my recipes are appreciated." RJ told him, holding up a bag full of CDs. "Thanks for this; these should keep us going for quite some time."

"No problems RJ." He replied. "Thanks for the pizza."

"I always like to seal business over a fresh pizza." He told him warmly. It was only then that he noticed Daggeron. "Oh, I take it you're a friend of Xander and Chip's. I'm RJ."

"Dag...er...David." He replied, shaking RJ's hand. He knew that Daggeron was hardly a common name, and so adopted a pseudonym. "Pleased to meet you."

"Welcome to Ocean Bluff." RJ greeted him. "I'm sure you'll love it here. Anyway, I'll catch you guys later."

With that, he left, heading back to Jungle Karma. He knew Lily would be waiting for him, and they still had a few little things left to do before opening the restaurant the following day. He just wished he could figure out how Xander could set up the store so quickly.

"You will not believe what happened today." Chip said excitedly as he grabbed a slice of pizza from the box in Xander's hand. "We met a Pai Zhuq master!"

"Seriously?" Xander asked him. Daggeron nodded to confirm the detail.

"We stumbled across him in the woods while we were training." He told the Green Ranger. "We knew the temple was out here somewhere, and we knew that the latest Power Rangers were Pai Zhuq, so we've now met at least one of them."

"I guess it was kind of inevitable." Xander replied. "I mean look at that little job I did for Dr. Hartford. We Rangers seem to make a habit of running into each other."

"So did V call when I was out?" Chip asked him. Xander just groaned. He knew that it wasn't Vida he was really asking about. If she wanted to call Chip, she'd just call his cell phone. He was as subtle as a sledgehammer on that count. He was wondering if Maddie had called.

"Leave it alone Chip." He warned him, getting up and leaving the room, leaving the pizza behind.

"It must be serious." Daggeron stated, taking a slice. "He left most of the pizza."

"I really wish Maddie would come around." Chip sighed. "V said she'd talk to her. It's bad enough she's still moping over Nick, but now that Xander's not around..."

"She's not getting the same support." Daggeron interrupted. "Maybe she'll realise what she had now that it's gone."

"I really hope so." Chip answered through a mouthful of pizza. "It's not healthy the way she's obsessing over Nick."

"Your girlfriend's stubborn; she's not to be denied when she has an idea in her head." Daggeron reminded him. "Especially when it comes to her sister. She wants to see her get over Nick the same as you. She knows Xander would be good for her."

"She is a hell cat when she gets going." Chip said with a smile. "I miss her."

"You should invite her to visit." Daggeron suggested. "I know they won't be able to stay long, but maybe a change of scenery will help Maddie."

"Getting her away from the blanket you mean?" Chip asked.

"Great minds think alike young knight." He replied.

When RJ came back to JKP, he found Master Phant sitting with Lily, talking with her. He waved RJ over as he saw him.

"Hello, I was just catching up with my favourite student." Master Phant greeted him as he arrived.

"What happened?" RJ asked, noting a few fresh bruises.

"Oh, I had a little sparring session earlier." He said, waving off his friend's concern.

"Gabby did that?" He asked the Elephant master. He couldn't believe she had progressed so quickly.

"No, I found a new sparring partner." He informed them. "It seems there's a Mystic Knight and his apprentice in town. It's been such a long time since I had the opportunity to spar with a knight, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"A Mystic Knight?" RJ asked. "Wow, it has been a long time since the Mystics and the Pai Zhuq crossed paths."

"Maybe we'll see more of them." Lily stated. "I really hope so. It would be so cool to meet real wizards."

Meanwhile, Casey was finishing up with one of his classes in the gym. He looked up, as his students left, seeing Xander walk in.

"Hey there." He greeted him. "Can I help you?"

"I'm kind of new in town." He answered, looking around. "Since I'm going to be staying I was looking for a gym membership."

Casey noted the accent and made the connection. RJ and Lily had told him that the guy who came to open the new record store was Australian.

"You're the one opening the record store aren't you?" He asked, showing him over to a desk. Xander nodded in response. "I heard you already met my friends RJ and Lily."

"They dropped around to talk business." He replied. "I've got to admit, this is some place."

"It helps having a generous benefactor." Casey replied. "So, you're planning to stay I hear."

"There isn't really much for me back in Briarwood." He sighed, thinking about the situation he'd left behind. "I just want a basic membership."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to take on some of our classes?" Casey asked, looking out the membership forms. "A lot of people like some of the Martial Arts lessons."

"I'm good thanks." He replied. "As long as I get access to the machines and a nice hot shower, then I'll be happy."

"Well I can manage that much." Casey replied, handing over the forms. "Just fill that out and bring it back when you get a chance. In the meantime, everyone gets one free session. Do you have your gear?"

"I always come prepared." He replied, lifting his training bag. "Are the changing rooms in the back?"

"They are." Casey answered him. "Enjoy."

With that, Xander headed off to the changing rooms to get ready. He had a feeling that moving here wasn't going to be that bad a move after all.

Theo made his way to the restaurant. Fran had promised that she would help Lily with the last of the arrangements for tomorrow's grand re-opening, but all things considered she wasn't in the mood, so Theo went in her place. Thinking about it, he figured that it was probably best she didn't see Lily today anyway. He had a feeling that it would just be an uncomfortable reminder of her terrible news.

"Hey T, how are you?" She asked him, seeing him come in. "I thought Fran was coming."

"She's had kind of a rough day." He sighed as he took off his jacket. He figured that he had to tell her. "We were at the hospital earlier."

"Is everything alright?" She asked him.

"I wish it was." He told her. "Fran found out that her dad's abuse cased some damage to her uterus. It's going to make it a lot harder for her to have children."

"Oh my God, T I'm so sorry." She gasped, hearing of her friend's plight. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really, the damage is already done." He told her sadly. Lily looked at him sympathetically. She could see how much the news had affected him. She couldn't imagine what she'd feel if she had to face that situation herself. "She's really upset about it all."

"Look, forget this." She told him, handing him his jacket. "Fran needs you, RJ and I can deal with this."

"Thanks Lily." He replied, putting his jacket back on. "I really appreciate the support."

"Tell Fran I'll call." She told him as he left. She couldn't believe the news she'd heard. It wasn't fair that this had happened to her. Fran was one of the kindest, most caring people she'd ever met. It wasn't fair that this had happened. She couldn't help her tears beginning as she thought about her what had happened. She loved the baby dearly; she couldn't imagine what it would be like if she had been told that she might not have children.

Outside, a couple of guys in ski masks watched Theo leaving. They quickly grabbed guns and headed for the restaurant, forcing open the door. Lily watched in horror as one of them levelled a gun in her direction.

"Open the safe!" He demanded. Lily felt her heart racing as she watched them come inside. She couldn't morph without revealing her identity, and she couldn't risk confronting them in case anything happened to the baby.

"There's not much there." She told them as she opened the register and began gathering the cash. She wished RJ was there, but he had gone to collect party supplies for the reopening. "We're still closed. We haven't been to the bank..."

"Get the safe." He demanded of her, flicking the gun in the direction of the door. Lily dutifully made her way towards the door into the back room. Just then, lightning flashed through the door, taking down two of the assailants. The third looked around to see the Yellow Mystic Force Ranger standing in the door. Chip had been passing, and had seen them go in. Lily looked on, thankful for his timely arrival.

"It isn't nice to wave guns around." He reprimanded the thief, taking him down with another lightning bolt. He looked over, seeing a very relieved Lily staring at him. "Are you alright Miss?"

"I'm fine." She finally managed to say. She came over to him observing him with a smile. It had occurred to her as a pretty big coincidence that one of the Mystic Force Rangers showed up in Ocean Bluff around the same time as three strangers from Briarwood had just rolled into town. Seeing the crooks were all safely unconscious, she looked up at him. "So are you Chip or Xander?"

"Excuse me?" He stammered, unable to believe she had figured it out. Lily pulled up her sleeve, showing her Master's Stripes. "You?"

"We have a shared history it seems." She told him. "And a shared colour."

"You were a Power Ranger?" He asked as he de-morphed, revealing his identity. Lily nodded.

"I guess I got to meet a wizard after all." She replied as she picked up the phone. "We can talk about this more once the cops have taken care of these guys. Thanks for the help."

"Well I'm glad I could help." He told her. "Of course if it wasn't for the baby I know you'd have taken these guys apart yourself."

"Trust me; I'm just glad that no one got hurt." She replied as RJ arrived, looking around.

"What happened?" He asked her. "Lily are you alright?"

"I'm fine RJ, thanks to Chip." She told him as she hugged him for comfort, finally able to calm herself after the ordeal. "It looks like we found out who the Mystic is that Master Phant met in the woods."

"Daggeron and I did meet someone in the woods." He confirmed. "Daggeron is David's real name. Xander was a Ranger too."

"Well we're going to have to catch up later." RJ replied, gesturing to the fallen crooks. "First, we should probably get rid of these guys."

Meanwhile in Briarwood, Vida was finishing packing her bag. When Chip had called earlier and asked her to visit him, it didn't take her long to make the decision. She missed Chip terribly since he had left, even though he only had been gone a couple of days. She closed the case, looking around to see Maddie coming into the room.

"So are you done packing?" She asked her sister. Maddie nodded wordlessly.

"Why are we going again?" She asked her.

"I thought you'd want to see them again." Vida replied. "It'll be good to get out of town for a while."

"I don't really feel like it." She complained. "I mean Toby..."

"Leelee and Phineas are here to help Toby." She reminded her. "Look, it'll be great to see how they've done setting up the new store."

Maddie picked up her bag, preparing to head out the door, but Vida looked at her a little suspiciously. She took the bag off her, opening it and pulling out Nick's blanket.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" Vida asked her.

"I like keeping it around." She sighed, realising she had been busted. Vida had tried, unsuccessfully, to get her to get rid of the blanket a number of times. It wasn't healthy the way she kept it around. It was like a constant reminder of Nick. She still hadn't been able to move on. She hated what he had done to her.

"Maddie, you have to let go." She reminded her. "If you meant as much to him as he did to you, he'd have come back before now."

The former Blue Ranger looked to her feet. She hated the way the others kept talking about Nick. Despite how much it hurt, she still couldn't give up the hope that he'd come back to her one day. Vida folded the blanket carefully and laid it on the couch.

"Look, it'll be here when you get back." She promised her sister. "Now, what do you say we make tracks?"

Maddie just nodded and closed her bag. It was pointless to argue with Vida when she got an idea in her head. She knew her sister was only trying to help, and although she resented the fact that she continued to bad-mouth Nick, she knew she had her best interests at heart. It wasn't like she was asking her to move to Ocean Bluff permanently. She hated leaving the blanket behind, Nick had entrusted it to her, but she knew Vida wouldn't let her take it with her. Like she said, it would still be there when she got back.

"I guess I do miss Xander." She sighed. "I can't believe he just left like that."

"Well you'll get to see him again soon." Vida reminded her, putting an arm around her and leading her from the apartment. "Ocean Bluff, here we come!"


	37. The Ritual

Having finally discovered who their new friends really were, the Jungle Fury rangers were more than a little curious to find out more about them. Xander, Chip and Daggeron were quietly checking over the last of the decor in the shop before opening the following day when they heard a knock on the door. They opened the door, finding Lily and RJ waiting there.

"You know most people wait till a store opens to visit." Xander joked as he gestured them inside.

"Well now I guess we know how you got this place set up so fast." Lily commented.

"Yes, a little abuse of power works wonders." Daggeron said coldly, casting a little glare at the former Green Ranger. Xander just ignored him though. He knew that it would have taken most of the last couple of days to set up the store without magic, and he really wasn't in the mood to argue about it. "I heard you guys are Pai Zhuq Masters."

"We are indeed." RJ answered. "We were the last team of Power Rangers."

"Well like you, we still have our powers." Daggeron informed them. "I guess I can introduce myself properly now. I'm Daggeron, the Solaris Knight."

"So you're the one that gave Master Phant a good run for his money." Lily responded, shaking his hand. "It's been a long time since someone took it to him like that."

"He's a bit of a livewire himself." He assured her, remembering their sparring session. "He gave me more than a few bruises himself. It was an honour to face him."

"Well it's the first time I've met any Rangers other than my own team." Chip commented. "Xander helped out the Overdrive team once, but I've only known one team."

"Well you know another team now." RJ told him. "I'll introduce you to the others sometime soon. So Xander, you know Dr. Hartford?"

"Yeah, when they lost their powers the Sentinel Knight asked a few of us to come back." He told them.

"Kira said something about that." Lily said in response, nodding knowingly. They had found out about Kira close to a year ago now when she visited Ocean Bluff. She had told them that it was something about the Morphing Grid that seemed to draw Rangers to each other. They had kind of thought she might have a point at the time having met her and Tommy, though now it seemed like anytime a Ranger went to a new city, they seemed almost destined to run into the local team. "She told us about your mission there, I guess it never clicked about the Green Ranger."

"Well now you know." He stated. "It was a good little ego boost to be asked to come back. I really loved getting back into the action again."

"Of course it is nice not to have nasty monsters trying to vaporise us every other day." Chip added. "I'm glad I can finally concentrate on my training."

"So you guys can do magic right?" Lily asked them. "Could you do...healing spells?"

She hadn't yet seen Fran since she found out she might have difficulty conceiving children. She didn't like to think about how she would be feeling about the news. She hoped that there was possibly something their new friends could do for her.

"Well that all depends." Daggeron told her. "We can only really heal injuries that are mystical in nature. Natural injuries can't be healed that way. Not by us anyway, and care also has to be taken with Magic. It's too easy to adversely affect destiny."

"Oh right." She sighed, feeling a little dejected at hearing this. For a second she'd gotten the hope that the damage done to Fran could be reversed through magic, but apparently that wasn't the case. It didn't seem fair that they weren't able to help Fran. If anyone deserved a chance like that, then it was her. She was at least thankful that she had an opportunity to ask without bringing up her idea to Fran. Right now she realised it would only have been cruel to dash her hopes again. "Sorry, one of our friends received bad news recently. I just hoped you could help her."

"Well I'm afraid we have to rely on destiny to play out for the best." Daggeron told her sagely. "If she's a good person and has a compassionate heart, then her destiny will become clear in time."

Lily just nodded and took a seat in the corner, still a little upset that she couldn't help Fran. RJ realised that her thoughts were to help Fran, but if it was not to be, then they couldn't do anything about it. He suddenly had a thought as he realised that perhaps there was someone they could help with their magic.

"You can't alter destiny, but what about giving destiny a helping hand?" He asked them. "Lily's father still has a few months to serve in the Marines before he can come home. Can you perform some kind of protection ritual?"

"I guess we could." Chip answered a little too quickly. Daggeron had a slightly pained look on his face.

"We should really consider this carefully." He told Chip. "There are only three of us, and it is a complicated ritual. Especially if he isn't here, and the spell is to last for all that time."

"Come on Daggeron, what's the harm?" Xander asked him. "We have magic to help people. What's the point if we don't try because it's hard?"

"Exactly." Chip interjected. "It's her dad."

"I really want him to get home to see the baby." She told him. He relented a little, looking at Lily. He could see how important it was to her that her dad returned home safely. He still wasn't sure about the ritual, but he was beginning to get a little railroaded.

"OK, but we have to be extremely careful." He told them. "Like it or not, there are only three magic users here..."

"What about our animal spirits?" RJ asked him. "My understanding was that the energy of an animal spirit came from the same central energy as magic. Couldn't that energy be converted?"

"Not easily, and it's already a complicated ritual." He warned him. "If nothing else, all you could provide was energy. It would still fall to us and our concentration to perform the incantation."

"As well as that, we need another three people to provide the power for the rite." Chip told them.

"Well Lily and I are here..."

"I'm afraid we need at least another two." Daggeron interrupted him. "Since Lily's dad isn't here, we need her to channel the energy through. Her blood and her heart will connect the protection spell to him through her emotional connection to him."

"Just let me make a phone call." RJ stated. "I'll get the other two people."

In her apartment, Fran was quietly having dinner with her husband. He had insisted on cooking her something special to celebrate her exam results, but she wasn't really concentrating on the food. She looked up and saw him smiling.

"Are you enjoying this?" He asked her. She just nodded, unable to answer. He knew that the news still upset her, but he was doing all he could to support her. The phone rang, interrupting them. He made his way over and answered it.

"Hello?" He answered it.

"Theo, could you and Fran come over to the Rock Porium?" He asked him. "I'll explain when you get here."

"We'll be over shortly." He told him, glancing over to his wife. She was just kind of playing with her food, shoving it around the plate. He was trying all he could to cheer her up, but he knew it would take a lot more than some good exam results and a quiet dinner at home with him to get her over that. Maybe being surrounded by friends was what she really needed.

"RJ and Lily are with the guys at the Rock Porium." Theo told her. "Let's go over there and say hi."

"I'm not really in the mood." She sighed, continuing to play with her fork, arranging her food into patterns on the plate. He just looked at her.

"Fran, being by yourself isn't going to make you feel any better." He told her. "Come on, it's about time we met these guys anyway."

Fran didn't bother arguing with him and just gathered her coat. He didn't have any idea what awaited them when they got there, the way RJ was talking on the phone, it was like he had some major news for them.

They arrived a short time later, finding Daggeron, Chip and Xander in their Mystic's attire, while RJ cleared a space in the floor. Theo looked at the bizarre scene unfolding a little curiously.

"What's all this about?" He asked.

"Theo, this is Chip, Xander and Daggeron." She explained, introducing the Rock Porium staff. "They have a shared past with us. They're Mystic Force Power Rangers."

"Seriously?" He asked, looking at them. He knew they had come into town recently, and that RJ and Lily had befriended them, but he had no idea that more Rangers had shown up in town.

"The Mystics and the Pai Zhuq go back a long way." Daggeron explained, shaking his hand. He saw Fran, and could sense something about her was amiss. He hadn't actually met her before, but he knew that something was troubling her heart.

"This is my wife Fran." He introduced her. "Anyway, what's all this?"

"We're performing a ritual to cast a protection spell." He explained. "We're going to cast a protection spell over Lily's father to guide him from harm for the next couple of months."

"We need a little more power to get the spell to work." Chip interjected as he finished drawing the spell seal on the floor. "We were hoping you would help."

"Of course, anything." Fran told them. Theo wasn't entirely convinced about this, a feeling he seemed sure the Solaris Knight shared. He wasn't a mage, but he had come across mentions of magic in his studies, and knew enough about it to know it was something that wasn't to be toyed with. It certainly wasn't a force to be used without total concentration.

"Fran, let's think about this for a second." He said gently to her. "I know you want to help Lily, but you don't know anything about magic. Neither do I. Do you really think..."

"You don't need to worry, we'll handle the incantation." Xander assured him. "Just channel your animal spirits into the energy field and leave the rest to us."

"Lily, if you could please stand in the centre of the seal please." Chip instructed her. She did as she was told. Chip placed his hands on her shoulders, aligning her with the correct line, facing east in the direction of the base her father would be serving in. "I have to warn you, this is important. No matter what happens, continue to face east until the ritual is complete. Do you understand?"

"I do." She replied quietly, taking one last glance to RJ.

"Now, I want to ensure that we take as few chances as possible." Daggeron told them. "I want a Mystic Force Ranger at each of the three key points of the seal. The Jungle Fury team, fill the remaining spaces between us."

They all nodded in understanding and took their places. Xander stood with Fran to his left and RJ to his right. Fran stood, directly facing Lily as everyone else took their places, a Mystic between each of the Jungle Fury Rangers.

"I've got us at the key points to keep the energy field constant." He told them. "Now, this is important. No matter what happens, do not under any circumstances break the circle until the ritual is complete. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"

They all nodded as they linked hands over their heads.

"Chip, Xander, you both know the incantation. Again, under no circumstances stop or break the circle until the ritual is complete." He instructed them. "Are we all ready to begin?"

"Yes." They all answered, preparing for the ritual. Daggeron looked around one last time. He still had a feeling that this wasn't a great idea, but he could understand everyone's desire to do this. Resigning himself to the fact that now was the time, he led off the chant.

Meanwhile outside, Vida pulled up in her car with Maddie, finding a place to park. She shook her awake as they arrived. The Blue Ranger always had a habit of falling asleep on long car journeys. She gestured to the sign, showing her that they had arrived.

"We're here." She rushed out excitedly. "Come on, let's get the bags."

"Are you sure the others are expecting us?" Maddie asked her. "It' looks like the place is closed."

"I told you so didn't I?" She asked her. It was true that she had told her sister they had been invited, though this was only partly true. Chip knew they were coming, but Xander didn't. She figured if he knew Maddie was coming, he'd only make excuses and try to discourage them from coming. She wanted to get them together, but given the way Xander had left, she knew he wouldn't want to see her. He had skipped town just to get away from his feelings. "Come on, I'm sure they're waiting inside."

"Well something's going on inside." Maddie replied as she fetched her bag. Vida looked to the window and could see what she meant. A heavy blackout blind had been hung across the window to block the view from the outside, but there was an ominous glow from a crack above the blind.

"Xander's probably just using his magic to set up the store." She suggested, checking the door. She was a little surprised to find it locked. She pulled out her own wand, performing a quick spell on the lock. They opened the door, stepping inside, seeing the others performing the ritual.

"Maddie?" Xander asked, seeing her come into the room.

"V!" Chip snapped, realising his mistake. In his concentration on the preparation of the spell, he had completely forgotten that they were coming tonight. The energy field surrounding the circle began to fluctuate and waver as they lost concentration and stopped chanting. Xander couldn't take his eyes off Maddie in disbelief, and dropped Fran's hand.

"Don't break the circle!" Chip yelled; dropping her other hand and trying to bring him back into position. Daggeron realised too late their error as the energy field collapsed, channelling entirely through the break in the circle, straight through the space Fran was in. A huge flash of light burst through the store and sent everyone in the room to the floor.

RJ began to stir first, and crawled over to Lily, checking on her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She looked up at him.

"I'm fine RJ." She replied. "I guess the ritual failed."

"Is everyone alright?" Daggeron asked, pulling himself back to his feet and dusting himself off. He looked a little accusingly at Chip and Xander.

"I'm fine." Chip told him. "My ears are ringing, but I'm fine."

"I'll be alright." Xander told him, straightening himself out, also looking a little accusingly at Chip. He knew he had something to do with Maddie turning up.

"OK, what just happened?" Vida asked, helping Maddie up. "What were you doing? Who are they?"

"Fran?" Theo asked weakly, looking around for her. "Fran?"

It was only then that everyone realised to their horror that Fran was no longer with them. She had vanished.

Fran pulled herself to her feet in the middle of a familiar city. It was Ocean Bluff, but not as she had seen it in some time. It looked as it often did after one of the Ranger's battles. She made her way through the rubble, finding herself being offered a hand. She looked up, seeing a most unusual sight.

It was a Blue Ranger, but not one she had ever seen.

The uniform had a skirt, and the build indicated that it was a woman wearing the suit. The helmet was a different design from Theo's, and looked like it was patterned after some form of lizard, but what surprised her was the insignia of the Order of the Claw on the chest.

"Are you alright Miss?" The Blue Ranger asked her. Fran looked around seeing another two Rangers in the background, one Yellow and one Red, sifting through the rubble for casualties.

"Um...I'm fine." She told her. "What happened here?"

"Don't worry; we took care of those creatures." The Blue Ranger assured her. As Fran straightened herself out, the Blue Ranger looked at her a little curiously.

"What is it?" Fran asked her.

"Nothing, I'm sure it's nothing." She replied. "Sorry, these new creatures really made a mess."

"It looks like it." Fran replied, feeling a little uneasy as the others came over. They were all Jungle Fury Rangers, but she didn't recognise any of them. How was that possible? The Red Ranger in particular seemed to be checking her out.

"Show me your arm." He demanded of her a little aggressively.

Fran rolled up her sleeve, showing them her Master's Stripes. He grabbed her wrist and inspected it thoughtfully. He couldn't deny it, the mark was genuine.

"Who are you?" He asked her.

"Master Vulpes." She replied. All three of them seemed to recoil a little in surprise. They all seemed to recognise her name. "What's going on? I don't know any of you..."

"Do you have something with today's date on it?" He asked her. Fran rummaged through her pockets, finding her hospital appointment card and handed it to the Red Ranger. She was losing patience with this grilling, but complied with the request.

"2009?" He asked her.

"Yeah, that's the year." She told him.

"No it's not, this is 2029." He responded. "We're the second Jungle Fury team."

Fran was a little taken aback by this. She wondered what the hell had happened. If what they were saying was true, then she was now 20 years into the future.

"Look, we aren't going to get any answers here." The Blue Ranger stated. "Let's get back to base, we can figure everything out there. Let's go..."

"No names." The Red Ranger interrupted her. "We can't let her know too much about the future until we figure out how to get her back. No de-morphing in front of her, and no names, is that clear Blue?"

"Perfectly." She replied a little sharply. With that, she and the Yellow Ranger left. The Red Ranger inspected the appointment card curiously, seeing the name and the date on it. He looked in the direction of the others as they took Fran away. This could prove to be very bad news.


	38. The Mystical Gift

Back in the Rock Porium, Theo was pacing the room in his frustration. Only a couple of minutes ago, the ritual had gone wildly out of control, resulting in his wife disappearing. He gathered his senses as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong, and more importantly, what had happened to Fran.

"What were you guys trying to do anyway?" Vida finally asked, coming over to her former team mates.

"I suppose we should clarify things here." Daggeron stated. "It's safe to talk. This is RJ, Lily and Theo. They were the Jungle Fury Power Rangers. They're Pai Zhuq Masters."

"They know who we are." Chip informed them. "Guys, this is Vida and Madison. They were our Blue and Pink Rangers."

"Look, what happened?" Theo snapped, beginning to worry. "My wife's disappeared! Where in the hell is she?"

"I'm not sure." Daggeron told him. He turned to the two women, seeing that they were still no wiser as to what was going on. "We were trying to cast a protection charm. Lily wanted us to protect her father from harm until he came home from the Middle East."

"But there are only three of you here." Madison stated.

"We were using the power of their animal spirits to help power the charm." Chip told her. "We knew it was risky, but we were sure we could handle it."

"Well that worked real well." Theo said a little sarcastically. "How the hell did this happen?"

"It appears that during the ritual, someone broke contact. That's why we lost control of the energy field." Daggeron said, taking a glance over to Chip and Xander. Theo rounded on them, but RJ saw what his intentions were in time to stop him doing something he'd regret.

"Which one of you was it?" He roared, struggling against RJ's grip. "Which one of you..."

"We both let go of the circle." Chip admitted, trying to cover for Xander. "Theo, I'm sorry, we'll do everything we can to get Fran back."

"Look, I understand how upsetting this is, but blaming each other isn't helping Fran." Daggeron interjected. "Now, she won't have been harmed. The energy field was comprised of light magic. It can't harm someone of pure heart, wherever she is, it won't have hurt her. Right now we need to figure out where she's gone."

"But..."

"Listen to me Theo, all light magic is presided over by the Mystic Mother." Daggeron interrupted him. "She'll be able to figure out where she's gone and what's happened."

"Then I guess she's the one we have to talk to." He said, still glaring angrily at the two increasingly distraught former Rangers. "Where is she?"

"I'll take you to her dimension." Daggeron stated, leading Theo away. "Just come with me."

Theo followed the Solaris Knight, determined to find his wife. He couldn't face the thought of losing her.

"So why did you break the circle?" RJ asked.

"Sorry, the energy..."

"You weren't the one who broke the circle Chip, I saw Xander drop her hand." Lily interrupted him. "What happened?"

He looked to Maddie and Vida, remembering his shock when he saw them coming into the store. He turned back to Chip, giving him a hard glare before storming off.

"Xander." He said, trying to stop him, before burying his face in his hands. He felt terrible about what had happened to Fran, but more than anything, he felt guilty about deceiving him about Maddie. He knew that Xander had been distracted when she came into the store; he knew it was at that point he had broken contact with Fran. It was when he let go of her as well to bring him back into the circle that things had gone completely out of control. "I'm sorry guys, this is my fault."

With that, he left the store, followed closely by his girlfriend, leaving RJ and Lily with Madison. She shifted a little uneasily confronted by the strangers. This wasn't in any way the ideal way to make introductions.

Meanwhile in the future, Fran was led into the Ranger's base. Under orders of the Red Ranger, she had been blindfolded for the duration of the journey. They pulled off her blindfold, allowing her to replace her glasses.

"The others aren't here right now. It's best we don't tempt fate." He turned to the Yellow Ranger and gestured towards a door. "Contact the others and tell them not to come back here until further notice."

As the Yellow Ranger left, he turned back to Fran.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but we can't answer them." He told her sharply. "When we manage to get you back to your own time, we can't risk you doing anything that would affect the natural flow of time. Do you understand?"

"I understand." She replied. "You have your own time to worry about."

"Blue, no one comes into, or out of this room until we know what's happening." He instructed her. The Blue Ranger nodded in understanding and left him with her.

"You know you don't have to be so...abrupt." Fran told him. "I'm not going to do anything; I'm as confused as you are."

"What happened?" He asked her. "How did you get here?"

"I don't know." She told him honestly. "One minute I was helping with a protection spell for Lily's dad..."

"Wait, Lily? Do you mean Lily James?" He asked her. Fran nodded. "We were casting a protection spell with some of the mystics when something went wrong. The next thing I knew I was waking up here."

He looked away, trying to make sense of what he had heard. He looked to the appointment card in his hand. He still couldn't think of what he could do about this.

"So there are Power Rangers in 20 years." She commented. "I guess that's a comforting thought."

"The world always needs heroes." He replied. "I really wish I could do more to ease your confusion, but there isn't anything I can do right now."

Just then, his morpher bleeped. He activated the communicator in it, listening to the message.

"I have to go." He told her, getting up to leave. "You can't leave this room. The future, our future, could depend on that."

With that, he ran off, leaving her alone in the room. She sat on a bed in the corner and pulled a pillow to her chest, hugging it for comfort. She wished there was some way she could contact the others, to let Theo know she was alright, even if that was the furthest thing from the truth.

Theo and Daggeron appeared in the Mystic Mother's dimension, finding themselves at the foot of her shrine. Theo looked around in awe, taking in the bizarre building.

"I promise you that the Mystic Mother will know what is going on." Daggeron told him. "I promise you that no harm will have come to her."

"We have no idea where she is." Theo reminded him. "She might not have been harmed by the power, but there's every possibility..."

"There's no point in worrying ourselves needlessly until we know what happened." Daggeron interrupted him. "Trust in the ways of magic."

They ascended the stairs, preparing to face the Mystic Mother and ask for her help. Theo looked up at her, seeing her sitting on her throne, swathed in thick robes.

"It has been a while Daggeron." She began.

"I am afraid we must ask your help." He told her. "We attempted to perform a ritual..."

"I am already aware of your request." She interrupted him. "You should have known better than to perform a ritual like that in these circumstances Daggeron."

"I had no idea Madison and Vida were coming." He protested. "It isn't my fault that Chip and Xander..."

"You have doubted the Green Ranger's heart for a while now." She interrupted him again. "You have doubted his use of magic."

"I suppose I have to concede that." He replied. "He has been taking his magic a little lightly since..."

"He has abused magic more than once recently." She chastised the Solaris Knight. "Even without the girl's presence..."

"With all due respect, what does this have to do with getting Fran back?" Theo demanded aggressively. "We're here to get my wife back!"

The Mystic Mother looked at him a little shocked by his tone. Daggeron shifted a little uneasily as he noticed her gaze. She was not accustomed to being addressed like that. He relaxed a little as a small smile came to her lips.

"You have passion." She commented. "It has been a long time since I've witnessed fire in someone's heart like that. I can see your heart is good and pure like your wife's." She turned to look at Daggeron.

"You would do well to re-learn the appropriate use of magic." She told him. "Ensure that you and your students do not need to be reminded of such again."

She waved a hand, and with that, he was gone. Theo looked around, finding himself all alone with her.

"Now, let us talk about your wife." She continued. "What would you give to ensure her safety?"

"I would give anything!" He told her. "Fran's safety, her happiness is all that matters to me."

"I am pleased to hear that." She responded. "You have received disturbing news have you not?"

Theo looked to his feet as he confronted her. He didn't want to think about this, not when he knew that Fran could be in danger.

"You needn't worry about her, she is perfectly safe." She assured him. "The power of the spell has removed her to another time. 20 years into the future to be exact."

"Excuse me?" Theo asked.

"The ritual involved three parts." She informed him. "One of those is a manipulation of time. If the protective magic is to work for an extended period, then the time stream must be tapped into to set the length. Unfortunately, that was when the ritual was interrupted."

"So what happened?" He asked her. "Why was Fran removed?"

"When the circle was broken, the energy was released through that space." She explained, conjuring the image for him to see. He watched as first Xander, and then Chip released her hands. "Fran was in that space, so when the energy disappeared into the time stream, so did Fran. The spirit of good magic took her to a time that was best suited to easing her heart."

"How does taking her into the future do that?" He asked her.

"I appreciate your passion, but try to keep your voice down. I'm getting a headache." She implored him. "In the meantime, why don't you tell me about the news you received. How did it make you feel?"

"How do you think it made me feel?" He asked her as calmly as he could. "I've just found out that I might never be able to have children with the woman I love."

"You seemed to handle that news admirably." She complimented him. "What was the first thing to cross your mind when you heard?"

"What it did to Fran." He replied. "She looked so hurt when she found out. She's the kindest and most compassionate person I know. It's not fair what her father did to her."

"Karma has been a cruel mistress to her." The Mystic Mother stated. "Trust in the ways of good magic. Everything will be fine."

With that, she waved a hand and Theo disappeared. He found himself once more standing in the Rock Porium.

"What happened?" Lily asked. "Where's Fran?"

"She said to trust in the ways of good magic." He replied. "She said everything would be fine."

Lily came over to him, holding him as he continued to worry over the whereabouts of his wife. How could he just trust her when she knew damn fine where Fran was and seemed to be doing nothing about it?

"She is cryptic, I'll give her that." Daggeron conceded. "All you can do now is wait for her to decide what she's going to do."

Madison came into the apartment, finding Xander drinking a beer. She came over to the couch beside him, sitting on it and shifting uncomfortably.

"I haven't replaced it yet." He told her, noting her expression. "The springs are pretty shot."

"Mind if I have one?" She asked him. Xander handed her the bottle and got another one for himself, flipping off the cap on the table. He still hadn't found where he'd left the bottle opener. "I've missed you."

"It's only been a few days." He reminded her.

"You never came to see me." She commented, putting an arm around him. He hated this; he would give anything for her to feel the same way about him that he did about her. "You never said goodbye."

"Things were kind of last minute." He explained. This was partly true, he had only decided to leave Briarwood shortly before he left, but he still had plenty of time to see her before he went. He had simply opted to spare himself the torment of facing her.

"You dropped Fran's hand when we arrived." She stated, taking a sip. "Why?"

"I was surprised to see you." He replied. "I lost concentration."

"I saw how you looked at Chip." She continued. "You didn't know I was coming did you?"

He let out a deep sigh as he reminded himself how smart she was. She had picked up on the fact that he blamed Chip for what had happened, and for bringing her here. He knew how hard it would be for him to see Maddie again. He had kind of hoped it would be a lot longer before he had to face her.

"No, I guess he wanted to surprise me." He responded, pulling away from her a little.

"What's going on Xander?" She asked him. "We used to be so close, why are you being like this?"

"I'm responsible for Theo's wife disappearing." He snapped, rounding on her. His tone was a lot harsher than she was used to, and it hurt a little to hear him speak that way. "Excuse me if I'm not jumping for joy."

She watched him go, completely speechless. He had never spoken to her in a way that made her feel bad about herself, but his tone was cold, unfeeling and a little hurtful. He had been there for her so much, so why wasn't he letting her be there for him when he was blaming himself for what happened to Fran?"

Fran and the future Red Ranger looked around completely confused as they suddenly appeared in the Mystic Mother's chamber. They looked up at her, feeling an immense power from her, but somehow knowing that there was no evil intent in that power.

"Who are you?" Fran asked her. "Where are we?"

"You are in my dimension." The Mystic Mother explained. "I have brought you here because I plan to send you home."

"So why am I here?" The Red Ranger asked her. "I was in the middle of a battle..."

"Your team mates will be fine." She assured him. "I will explain your presence here shortly." She turned back to Fran.

"You have not been treated fairly by karma." She stated, looking at the confused young woman. "You have had every reason to give in to darkness, to give up all the love and kindness in your heart and yet you are still one of the purest souls I've ever come across."

"Ummm...thanks?" Fran said weakly. "You said you could get me home."

"All in good time my child." She replied with a knowing smile. "You have just received some terrible news."

"How could you possibly know that?" Fran demanded a little incredulously. "What is this?"

"Why does everyone have to shout? I have a headache!" She complained. "I assure you that this is all part of destiny's plan for you."

"Why would I give a damn about destiny?" Fran hissed, beginning to approach her. "Destiny has taken everything from me! When my dad decided I was to blame for everything that went wrong in his life, what did destiny do for me? When he beat me to the point I didn't know if I would live or die, what did destiny do for me?"

"Like I said, life has not been at all fair to you." She responded. "The ritual misfired, if I told you that it could have the opposite effect. If I told you that it could increase the chances that Michael would come to harm..."

"You have to help him!" Fran interrupted her. "He and Lily have only just patched things up! She'd be devastated if anything happened to him!"

"That is why you are such a fantastic person." She replied. "You are uncertain of your future, you have had much taken from you, and yet your first thought is for others. Your husband stood before me in defiance, demanding your safe return. Now I understand why you deserve such devotion."

"Please, help Michael." She pleaded with her.

"The ritual worked, it just went a little...unexpectedly." She admitted. "Michael Chilman will return home at the end of his commission safe and well. You have my word."

"Thank you." She said, a little relieved.

"I do however wish to square a little karmic debt to you." She replied. "Such heart deserves a tremendous reward. However, I must warn you that once you leave here, neither you nor your husband will have any memory of having met me."

"What gift?" Fran asked her.

"I wish to give you what you most desire." She stated. "I wish to return to you what your father took from you."

"But what I want more than anything..."

"That is why you are here." She told the Red Ranger. "Neither of you will remember this, so you have nothing to fear."

With that, he touched the side of his helmet, de-morphing. Fran looked at him, unable to breathe. He was almost as tall as she was, and dressed in red and black training gear. Looking at his face, he was an Asian man, and looked to be a little younger than she was now. As he turned to face her, he pulled out a pair of glasses, putting them on.

"I'm a little short-sighted." He told her. "Just like my mom."

She approached him slowly, disbelievingly. She could see features of both herself and Theo about him. She could hardly breathe as she realised that this was her son.

"I thought..."

"Like I said, I have returned to you that which your father's cruelty has taken." The Mystic Mother explained.

"You'll be seeing me sooner than you think mom." He stated, handing her back the appointment card, pointing to the date. Fran brought a hand to her stomach.

"You mean...?"

"Not yet." He interrupted her. "But it won't be long."

With that, there was a bright flash, and Fran appeared in the Rock Porium, finding the others staring at her in disbelief.

"What was that?" Lily asked her. "Where were you?"

"I was..." She found herself unable to answer. She didn't know where she'd been; only that she hadn't been there. The more she tried to remember, the more she forgot. All she could remember was the accident with the ritual, and then she found herself here. "I really don't know."

"You were..." Theo's words tailed off as he tried to explain. For some reason, he found most of his memory of the night disappearing. If anything, he couldn't remember anything after the explosion.

"At least you're both alright." Lily said a little relieved that they were safe. "I'm sorry; I should never have asked you to do this. I'm just glad no one was hurt."

"Well I'm sorry the ritual didn't work out." RJ said sympathetically. "I know how much it would have meant to you."

"Dad's tough, I'm sure he'll be fine." Lily replied. "Let's go home, I think we've all caused enough trouble for one night."

With that, they left, leaving Chip, Daggeron and Vida to their thoughts. Madison arrived a little time later.

"V, we should be going, we still have to check into our motel." She told her, mopping her face with her wrist. Vida could see she was upset.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She told Chip, kissing him softly. He watched her leave, a little disappointed that he couldn't spend more time with her. He knew she was concentrating on her sister. He went upstairs, finding Xander still sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"You did a wonderful job there." He said a little coldly. "You know I thought you cared about Maddie."

"You know I do." He replied, taking a sip of beer. Chip lost his temper, flipping out his wand and blasted the TV, destroying it.

"What the hell Chip?" He screamed.

"I'll buy you another one!" He snapped. "What are you trying to do? Make sure no one wants to be near you? If that's your objective, then you're going around it the right way."

"What am I meant to do Chip?" He snarled, getting into his friend's face. "Tell me! You have all the answers, so tell me!"

"You know what? You aren't worth it." He sneered, looking him up and down judgementally. "It should concern you to know that the girl you claim to love just left here in tears, but you're too busy being a petulant child."

"Well if she wants some comfort, why doesn't she try hugging her blanket?" He said sarcastically. "That's what she's been doing all this time."

"You're right about one thing, Maddie does deserve better." He sneered, turning his back on him and leaving. "But it's not just Nick that's hurting her."

Xander slumped onto the couch, cursing as he felt a spring digging into him. In many ways he knew that Chip was right. Maddie did deserve better than the way he had treated her.


	39. After the Ritual

Fran and Theo returned to their apartment late that night. It had been quite a while since the ritual, and everyone who had been involved had agreed that it was best they all go home to get some rest. They all had a big day tomorrow, both the Rock Porium's grand opening, and also JKP's re-opening celebrations. RJ had already press-ganged every member of the team who didn't have anything to do that day into working, anticipating a lot of business. Meanwhile Chip, Daggeron and Xander still had to clear up after the ritual.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" He asked Fran. He still found it more than a little worrying that neither of them could remember anything between when Fran disappeared, and when she reappeared. All he knew was that there was no greater relief to him than the moment she reappeared, safe and unharmed.

"I'm alright." She replied quietly. Ever since, she had been continuing to try and force free some memory of what had happened that night. She knew that something had to have happened, she had lost approximately half an hour of time without any form of explanation. She knew from the others that she had disappeared during that time, but she had no insight to give them. It was as though someone had quite literally just wiped her mind clear of all memories of that time. "I'm a little hungry though. Can we re-heat dinner?"

Theo smiled as he heard this. She hadn't really eaten since leaving the doctor's office. He knew how upset she was about the news. It seemed odd, but even just the return of her appetite seemed to show hope for a shift in her mood. It was strange that despite their confusion, and their exhaustion, they both somehow felt more at ease than they had done.

"I think I can manage that." He replied with a little smile. "You seem a little brighter."

"For some reason things...I don't know why but I just had this...dark fog in me." She told him as he shoved a plate into the microwave. "Everything just seemed so pointless, so hopeless. But somehow that's just lifted."

"I know what you mean." He responded, furrowing his brow. "It's like my animal spirit knows something I don't, but no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out what."

"Same here." Fran told him, gesturing to him to sit with her on the couch. She ran a hand through her hair as she looked into his eyes. "She just seems to feel so much better, so much more cheerful, and that's filtering through to me. I only wish I knew why."

Theo looked at his somewhat dishevelled, exhausted and pale looking wife, and felt stronger for her than he ever had. He had been disappointed about the thought of not having children with her, but right now that seemed completely immaterial. The one thing he could remember about that night was the panic as he realised that Fran was not with them, and the overwhelming joy that she had returned. He leant across, placing a hand gently behind her neck and pulled her into a long, loving kiss.

Fran felt her heart racing as she looked at him. Only a few hours earlier, this would have been the furthest thing from her mind. She still felt that it was somehow her fault that Theo would be denied the opportunity to have a family, but looking deep into his eyes, and into his heart she could tell that she meant more to him than anything. Embracing him warmly as they lay back on the couch in each other's arms, she never even noticed the chimes from the microwave informing them that her dinner was ready.

Meanwhile, Maddie found herself unable to sleep in the motel room Vida had booked for them both. She still couldn't understand what she had done to upset Xander so much. He had spoken to her in a way she'd never heard him speak to anyone, full of anger and hurt.

It had only been a couple of days, but she had already missed the way he'd make her feel when he spent time with her. He was the only one who never bad-mouthed Nick in front of her, never tried to get her to give up on him. He was the only one who seemed to understand how much she had been hurt by his departure.

She thought about all those times he came around. Sometimes he brought a DVD, sometimes a pizza, but always with a warm smile and a kind word. He would often hold her and just talk to her when she felt badly about herself. More than anything, in all that time, he had accomplished someone no one else had. Not only could he get a smile out of her. At times, he could even get her to laugh, something that at one time she was sure she'd never do again.

But in the last couple of months especially, he just seemed to become a little more distracted. He seemed to spend less time around her, and then one day Vida came back into the apartment and told her that he had left. It had hurt that he'd just leave without saying goodbye. That wasn't what bothered her though.

When she talked to him about the ritual, he seemed troubled. He wasn't just disappointed about it going wrong, and the fact Fran disappeared. He seemed, somehow angry. When she asked him about seeing her, he had unleashed his temper. It was as though he was angry with her for something. The way he'd looked at Chip and Vida let her know he had no idea she was coming, but it was more than surprise. It looked like he blamed them for him losing his concentration.

Feeling that it was futile to try to sleep any longer, she pulled back the covers and began gathering her clothes.

She looked over to the other bed where Vida was sleeping. She had been no help at all. She'd been trying since leaving the Rock Porium to get her to explain things and fill in the blanks, but her sister was being very evasive. She had come up with all sorts of suggestions for why Xander was acting oddly, or why she hadn't told him they were coming, but she had known the Pink Ranger long enough to know when she was lying, or when she was trying to keep the truth under wraps. It would be pointless to try and get any more answers from her.

She got dressed quietly so as not to wake her, and made her way out of the motel to head over to the Rock Porium. There was only one way she was going to make sense of this, and that was to get the answers herself.

Back at the Rock Porium, Daggeron, Chip and Xander were clearing up after the ritual. As the only one who could remember visiting the Mystic Mother, Daggeron could remember her warning, and not wanting to risk any further punishment over the abuse of magic, he insisted that they clear it manually, despite knowing that it would take a lot longer. Chip had finished scrubbing the spell seal off the floor, and they were now busy moving the shelving units back into the correct space. Xander dumped his end on the floor in exhaustion, the expression on his face betraying how he felt. He continued to exchange cold glares with Chip. Daggeron finally got fed up of the childish display and slammed down the stack of magazines he was carrying.

"You two need to get this sorted and do it now!" He barked as he rounded on them. "It's hard enough to do all this work in one night by hand without you two acting like a pair of schoolchildren."

"Let's just use our wands and get this done!" Xander groaned, pulling out his wand. Daggeron snatched it from him.

"That is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place!" He snapped in response. "I know you've been hurt Xander, believe it or not, I've experienced heartache too, all we can do is get over it and move on..."

"It's kind of hard to do that when my friends won't leave it alone." Xander grumbled sarcastically, gesturing to Chip.

"Like I said if you want to move out here and sulk for the rest of your life, fine!" Chip responded, getting into his face. "V and I are your friends. We've seen how unhappy this has made you, we've been trying to help you for months, but you're so busy feeling sorry for yourself..."

"ENOUGH!" Daggeron roared, interrupting them. He held his hand out, indicating to Chip to hand over his wand too. Chip complied with the request. "I'm not even meant to be working here. I only agreed to come to help Chip with his training. When you're finished yelling at each other, I'll help you. Until then, I can do without the agro."

He gave them both another disapproving look before walking away, making his way up to the apartment.

"Why'd you bring them here Chip?" He asked him coldly as Daggeron left, making his way over to the next shelving unit. Chip joined him; grabbing the other end and helping him lift it.

"I'm beginning to wonder." He replied as they moved it. "I'm sorry about the ritual. In the preparations I forgot that they were coming. If I'd remembered, I'd have waited until they were here and..."

"You know what I mean Chip!" Xander stated as he put the shelving unit down. "Why did you bring her here? You know how hard it was for me to leave."

Chip helped Xander pick up another shelving unit.

"Leaving was your choice." He reminded him. "I've been trying to get you to tell her how you feel since I found out."

"Oh right, and what exactly was I meant to say Chip?" He asked him. "Hey Maddie, just wanted to say that I'm in love with you, and I skipped town because I know you'll never love me back?"

As they put down the shelves, Xander saw the expression on Chip's face slipping. He turned around slowly, already knowing what he would find. Maddie was standing in the doorway, her jaw almost in the floor as she stared at them both. She had come into the store to speak to Xander while they were both handling the shelving, and so hadn't seen her coming in. Xander's heart raced as he realised she had to have heard them talking.

"How...how much did you hear?" Xander asked her.

"I heard all the important part." She responded. "Xander?"

"I'll...I'll just...be going...not here." Chip stammered, quickly leaving the room. Xander and Maddie stood there, staring at each other for a while, neither one having any idea what to say or do. Xander stroked the back of his neck as he tried to find some way out of this situation.

"Maddie..."

"Xander, I thought I had done something wrong." She interrupted him gently. "I thought you were mad at me. I didn't understand why you left without saying goodbye."

Xander took a seat on the floor, resting his back against the counter. Maddie joined him.

"So how long have you...felt that way?" She asked him.

"It's coming close to two years now." He answered her, realising that by now it was pointless to try and lie to her. "I've been in love with you now for all that time."

"You never said anything." She whispered. She had to think hard over all the time they had spent together across those years. It was true they'd grown close over that time, but she hadn't seen it. "Why?"

"I figured that there was no point while you were still hung up on Nick." He told her honestly. It was the first time she could remember him even mentioning Nick across the time they spent with each other. "It killed me to see what his leaving did to you; I just wanted you to feel better, to be able to move on. Over time though, I got to know the real you. I've been feeling this way for all that time."

"You left without a word." She responded.

"I figured I'd never have a shot with you." He sighed deeply, looking at her for the first time since beginning his confession. "I knew you were a lot stronger, but it was starting to affect me. I didn't want to grow to resent you. I've already grown to resent Nick for what he did to you. It was killing me being around you but knowing that I'd never be with you, so I figured it was best if I left. I couldn't face saying goodbye, so when Toby told me he was opening another store, I took the opportunity to go. I didn't want to draw things out. I figured it would be easier on everyone if I just went."

"I'm guessing Chip and Vida bringing me here was their attempt at matchmaking." She surmised. "Xander, it really hurt when you left without saying goodbye."

"I'm sorry, that was never what I wanted for you." He replied. "I thought it would make things easier."

"I'm sorry if I ever hurt you." Maddie stated, playing with her hair nervously. "I guess it can't have been easy. I know I've been obsessed with Nick. He was the first guy I trusted with my heart..."

"He didn't deserve that trust." Xander interrupted her. "I know you don't like to hear bad things about Nick, but look at how much he's hurt you. You can't live the rest of your life waiting for him."

"But Xander..."

"I'm not saying that because I love you. You know I do, but if you don't return my feelings, then there's nothing I can do about that." He continued, moving around in front of her and taking her hands. "If you end up happy, that's good enough for me, but Nick doesn't make you happy."

She felt her tears beginning again as he said this. If it had been Vida or Chip, by now she'd be storming out of the room and likely wouldn't speak to them again for days, but this time, she was compelled to listen.

"Just like I can't make you love me, you can't make Nick love you." He assured her. "It's time to move on."

He helped her up, holding her in a warm hug. Despite how vulnerable he now was in her presence, he couldn't feel disappointed that she now knew how he felt. Even if it did mean that she would confirm that she would never love him back.

"I'll take you back to the motel." He told her. "We can talk again tomorrow when the store closes. Until then, I have to mend some bridges with the others and get the store fixed..."

With that, Maddie flipped out her own wand and waved it, instantly bringing everything back into its rightful place.

"Now you have more time to working on Chip and Daggeron." She told him as they left. She let him lead the way, taking her back to her motel room, all the time thinking about everything that had been said. She had a lot to think about, and not just how she was going to try and make things right between herself and Xander, but also what she planned to do about Nick. She'd been holding out for him for so long, was it really time to just give up hope? Was it really time to just accept that he wasn't coming back?

The following morning, Fran stirred awake in Theo's arms, finding him still in contented sleep. Reaching over to the sideboard, gently stirring Theo, she grabbed her glasses and put them on. He turned over, looking up at her.

"Some night huh?" He asked her. Fran blushed slightly. He was not actually talking about the ritual, rather what had happened afterwards. Despite their sleep, she was still a little tired. She got up, making her way over to the window, looking out. Theo crossed the room behind her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She responded, turning to face him. She began pulling into a kiss, before seeing the digital alarm clock in the corner and pulling away. "Crap!"

"Not exactly the response I was looking for." He joked.

"Theo, we forgot to set the alarm!" She told him. "Our shift starts in half an hour!"

He suddenly launched himself onto the bed, grabbing it to get a better look, realising she was right.

"You get the shower first." He told her. "I'll get the uniforms."

As Fran went into the bathroom to get cleaned up, and Theo began looking out their uniforms, he couldn't help feeling like everything was going to be alright. As long as he had Fran, he knew everything would always be alright. It was an unseasonably bright day, they were finally going to be getting shifts at the restaurant again, and more importantly than anything, he finally felt like she was going to be alright.

He still had no idea what had happened when Fran had vanished, but whatever it was, both of them had felt their spirits lifted significantly. Somehow everything felt so much better than it had done earlier. He didn't understand it, but as long as they were both feeling like this, he didn't care. It just felt so good to have the old Fran back.


	40. A Long Day

Vida and Maddie were making their way quietly through their rather unappetising room service breakfast that morning. Maddie had woken Vida when Xander brought her back, so she knew that she had gone to see him. However, they hadn't really spoken since then. She had the distinct impression that Maddie had figured out what she had been brought here for, and was angry with her for lying to her.

"You went to see him?" Vida asked her.

"Can we talk later?" Maddie said a little coldly. Vida had an idea that she wasn't exactly thrilled that she had been dragged here under false pretences. It seemed like exactly the kind of thing Maddie would do, going to see him in the middle of the night to straighten things out, though the way they were acting around each other she had kind of a feeling that Xander had said a little more than he intended to.

"Look, you shouldn't have gone to see him last night." Vida continued. "He's probably still cut up about the ritual..."

"He told me he loves me." Maddie interrupted her. Vida just went to her sister's bed, putting an arm around her. Maddie shrugged her arm off briskly and turned on her. "I know you knew. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have listened?" She asked in response.

"Don't you think that was my choice to make?" Maddie snapped aggressively. "I walked in on him and Chip talking about me. I overheard him telling one of my best friends that he was in love with me! I felt like an idiot! Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?"

"Was it any more humiliating than shutting yourself away in your bedroom with a baby blanket for comfort for months on end?" Vida asked her angrily. Although she knew it was largely her fault that Maddie was in this situation, but then again it was an improvement. At least she wasn't retreating back to her bedroom like she usually did. Dragging her out to Ocean Bluff; and it had felt a bit like dragging her at times, had eliminated that option.

"What damned business was it of yours?" Maddie shrieked as she grabbed her bag. Pulling it open, she began rummaging through it with a kind of unspoken desperation.

"When it feels like I've had an emotionally crippled shut-in instead of a sister for three years!" Vida replied, a single tear beginning to form. She wasn't much of a girly girl, and she hated to cry. She didn't do it often, but this business with Maddie had been heartbreaking. She began stroking her sister's hair gently. "Maddie, I know I'm not the smartest person..."

"That's an understatement." She grumbled under her breath, before losing patience and tipping the entire contents of her bag onto the bed and rummaging through it.

"You left it behind Maddie." Vida reminded her, realising that she was looking for the blanket. "You left it in the apartment."

"Only because you made me." She responded. "Why couldn't you just butt out? Why couldn't you just leave me alone?"

"I couldn't leave it alone because I want my sister back!" She exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but you wouldn't have come otherwise."

"Did you think maybe I didn't want to come?" Maddie asked her.

"No, all you want to do is sit around and wait for the asshole to come back!" Vida stated, moving around in front of her. She looked up at her. "I don't know how you feel about Xander, and if you don't return his feelings, then I can't help that. But he's already done so much for you, I'll always be grateful to him. I knew he was the only one you listened to, if he gets you to see sense, I know I'll never be able to repay him."

"It's my life." Maddie whimpered weakly, the fatigue beginning to get the better of her.

"Exactly, so it's time to start living it." She replied taking her hand. "Maddie, it's time you faced the fact that Nick isn't coming back. If you mattered to him half as much as he matters to you, he'd at least have called or wrote or..."

"He might have been busy..."

"Maddie, it's been three years." She reminded her. "Do you honestly believe that in all that time, he never once had a spare moment he could have called you?"

Maddie felt her shoulders slump and her heart sinking. Vida put an arm around her and pulled her into a deep hug.

"It's time to let go." She reiterated, releasing her. She looked into her sister's eyes. "Now, isn't there someone you'd like to see?"

"But I don't know how I feel about him." She responded quietly. "It wouldn't be fair, I've already hurt him so much..."

"You know what this did to you." Vida replied. "Would you want to do that to Xander? After all he's done for you, don't you think you at least owe it to him to tell him where he stands, even if you don't end up with him?"

"I guess so." She whispered, nodding slightly. "It's not going to be easy."

"Well, I guess the first thing to do is at least talk to him." Vida suggested. "We'll head over there and check on their Grand Opening. Maybe they'll let me take a turn on the decks."

"Well if the alternative is Chip dealing with the music, that's a certainty." Maddie replied, remembering the last time Chip tried to act as the DJ in the shop back in Briarwood. To say he had no idea what he was doing would have been an understatement.

"I guess that's fair comment." Vida responded. "I love him, but he knows that it's more than his life's worth going near a set of decks when I'm around."

Maddie found a small smile coming to her face, and started getting ready. She still wasn't happy about the situation she was in, and she had no idea how she was going to face Xander. She knew he cared about her too much to try and force anything, but she still didn't know how she would handle seeing him, knowing what she did. Not just because it made her feel awkward knowing that he wanted more from her than just friendship, but because now that she thought about everything he had done for her, she had no idea what she wanted from him in return.

Meanwhile at JKP, Gabby and Dom were rushing around like headless chickens, getting ready for opening when Theo and Fran arrived, pounding on the door.

"It's nice of you to show up." Dom said a little sarcastically as they arrived. "You are only half an hour late."

"Sorry, we forgot to set the alarm." Fran rushed out a little quickly. As she brushed past Dom, heading into the kitchen to see RJ, he could swear she was blushing a little.

"Yeah, we're both sorry about that." Theo stated. "We had kind of a wild night."

"RJ explained about the ritual." Dom told him. "It sounds like you really did have a wild night. I still can't believe there are other Rangers in town."

Theo stared blankly for a second, before shaking his head.

"Yeah, the ritual, right." He replied. "That definitely didn't go to plan."

Dom noticed the reaction, and got a little sly grin on his face. He now understood why they were late, and why they were both so flustered. Theo just rolled his eyes as he realised this. He could no doubt expect some kind of smart-ass reply.

"Look, I'm happy everyone's safe too." He told him reassuringly. "I know I'd have been out of my mind if Gabby disappeared again."

RJ came out of the kitchen with Fran, helping her with some of the crockery.

"Are you sure?" He asked her. "It'll be a struggle, but we can handle everything here if you both want to go home."

"It's alright RJ." Fran assured him. "I was upset when I found out, but I'm fine."

"Fran..."

"I can't explain it, but since the ritual, I just kind of feel like I know everything will be alright." She told him. "I don't know why, but I just don't feel upset the way I was."

"Upset about what?" Dom asked her as he came over.

"It's OK." She told RJ as he was about to say something. "I found out that it's unlikely I'll be able to have kids."

"Oh God, Fran I'm so sorry!" He gasped, hearing this. "Is there anything..."

"There probably isn't anything anyone can do." She interrupted him. "I'm still a little down about it, but I'll get by. We'll be fine."

"Well just let me know if there's anything I can do for you." He said sympathetically, hugging her.

"Like I said, things will work out." She told him. "Theo and I still have each other, that's all we need."

"Alright guys, are we ready?" RJ asked, giving another little glance to Fran and Theo. He pulled her closely. She shrunk into him a little. Dom felt better at seeing their reaction to this. He still felt badly for them, but seeing them together, he knew that they would be fine, and it gave him hope for his own relationship. Although it was still early days with Gabby, and he wanted to wait for her to be ready, he already knew they cared for each other deeply. He smiled as he thought about them being that close in the future. RJ crossed over to the door as Lily came down. Since RJ had a very much open and friendly, family atmosphere to the restaurant, he insisted that she was there for the grand opening, even if it was only to meet and greet the regulars as they returned to the newly open restaurant. "Then, it's time to declare JKP open!"

With that, he threw the door open. Seeing the amazing throng of well-wishers outside, his eyes grew wide in amazement. It was as though every regular they had was there, and had brought friends and family along for the grand re-opening. They began to file through the door, looking more like a rugby scrum than paying customers.

"Well I guess this is the price of success." He commented with a large smile. He stepped forward, facing the first customers. "Welcome to the brand new JKP, would you like a table?"

Meanwhile, the Rock Porium was also doing brisk business. Having advertised an opening day sale, the shop had been full from the moment they opened the doors. Chip was being swamped at the counter, while Xander was moving around the sales floor, helping out where he could, and making sure the music was playing.

"You could help you know Daggeron." He moaned as he flashed a glance to the chair in the corner where the Solaris Knight was sitting, reading a book on legends.

"I'm a knight, what do I know about retail?" He asked in response, crossing his legs and turning the page casually.

"Well you could at least deal with the music." Xander commented, as he finished looking out an LP for one of the customers and handed it to her.

"You do remember the last time Vida let him on the decks right?" Chip asked him, finishing with what seemed like the thousandth customer. "He's the only person in the world who's worse as a DJ than I am!"

"You guys look like you need some help." Vida called over the sound of the crowd, seeing them struggling. Maddie looked around at the crowd, amazed that they had managed to spread word so quickly.

"You're just in time V, if you wouldn't mind taking the seat of honour, I'd be forever grateful." Xander called out, gesturing to the decks in the corner. Vida made her way over as quickly as she could through the crowd. Maddie made her way behind the counter and pulled off her jacket, taking her place by Chip.

"Could you use a little help?" She asked him.

"Feel free to start any time." Chip replied.

Xander just stood, watching her as she took her place at the register. It had only now been a few hours since he'd inadvertently blurted out his feelings for her. He knew that she was coming over to speak to him again today, not that he was looking forward to that conversation. It was always going to be awkward.

She looked so beautiful to him now. She seemed so much brighter and more radiant than she had done over all those times he had been at her apartment comforting her. It was like she was a different person, almost the same as she had been before Nick had left.

"Dire Straits?" Someone asked him.

"Sorry?" He asked in response, suddenly being brought back to the present.

"I'm looking for Dire Straits." A kid with a heavy black leather jacket told him.

"Oh...right...just this way." Xander replied, leading him towards the appropriate section of the store. As he began looking through the racks for the album in question, he looked over to Maddie again, catching her glancing in his direction, before turning back to the customers and smiled. It made his day to see her feeling so much better. All he ever wanted was for her to be happy, and at least she seemed to be making the first steps in that direction.

Back at JKP, the restaurant was still completely swamped. RJ came over to Lily, who had since taken over meeting and greeting. Although he wasn't keen on her serving or cooking in her current condition, this was one of the few jobs he was alright with her doing, and it meant one less thing for them to worry about.

"Lily, we're still really swamped here. Would you mind taking this take out order?" He asked her, handing her a check. She looked at the address and realised that it was the lunch order for the Rock Porium. "I guess we're not the only ones too busy to take a break."

"Sure thing, my feet are killing me." She responded. "Junior's obviously as excited about the re-opening as you are, he's giving me a hell of a time."

"Well this'll give you a little break." He told her, handing her the keys to the jeep. "Fran's just about finished with it in the kitchen."

Lily made her way through to the kitchen, collecting the pizzas, and headed over to the jeep, putting the pizzas in the back when she felt a gentle tap on the shoulder. She jumped round with a start, swiping his hand away as she snapped into a guard.

"Whoa, sorry I didn't mean to frighten you." The guy in front of her said, seeing the slightly panicked look in Lily's face. "I'm just looking for an address."

"Where are you going?" Lily asked him, her breathing finally returning to normal. She gave him a good, long look, taking in his appearance. He seemed to be around her age, maybe slightly older, with thick black hair. He had dark skin, and deep-set dark eyes, that had a kind of intensity about them that was slightly unnerving, but also seemed to have a certain trustworthy quality about them. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a red T-shirt, and light blue jeans. He was holding a motorcycle helmet in his hand.

"I was just in there getting some lunch when I read a sign over the jukebox saying that there was a Rock Porium here." He continued. "I used to work in the Briarwood branch."

"Well a couple of guys that worked there are here to open that branch." She informed him.

"A tall Australian guy with a thick accent and a red haired kid?" He asked.

"That would be them." She replied cheerfully.

"Oh man, It'll be great to see Chip and Xander again!" He stated.

"Tell you what, I'm just on my way there to deliver some pizza." She informed him. "Why don't you follow on?"

"I'll just get my bike." He answered, making his way over to a large black Harley.

"Nice bike." She complimented him as he mounted up. "Mine's the yellow one over there. I love riding, but you know...in my current condition..."

"It's nice." He replied, pulling on his helmet and starting up.

Lily started up the jeep, heading off towards the record store, thinking that it was exciting that she was going to be delivering more than just pizza to the store.

At the Rock Porium, it was beginning to get a little quieter at long last. It was getting quiet enough that they could finally take turns at taking a break. All except for Daggeron, who still had no intention of working there to help. Lily came in carrying a large stack of pizza boxes.

"Two full size Thrilla Gorillas, One Soyrific Safari, one Meat Feast and an extra large portion of chicken wings!" She called out.

"Lily, you are a life saver!" Chip exclaimed loudly, taking the order from her. "Daggeron!"

He threw the bag of chicken wings across to the corner, where Daggeron caught them, putting his book away.

"You know, I brought more than pizza." She said cheerfully. "I met a guy who said he knows you."

As the stranger came into the room, pulling off his helmet, Vida and Chip's mouths hung open in disbelief. Maddie, who had already taken a slice of the Soyrific Safari dropped it on the floor, a couple of tears began.

"Hey guys, is that the..." Xander came into the room, and his eyes also grew wide as he caught a look at the one man in the world he honestly hoped he'd never see again.

"Hey guys." Nick greeted them. "This place looks awesome."

Maddie ran from the room, followed closely by Vida.

"Xander, could you come and help me with something?" Daggeron said, grabbing his arm and escorting him from the room. Lily just looked between Chip and Nick, noticing a somewhat strained feeling in the room. She had no idea what had just happened, or why everyone had reacted so badly.

"What's the story Chip?" Nick asked him.


	41. Burn of the Phoenix

Maddie threw herself onto the couch in the apartment upstairs after the shock of seeing him return. Tears flooded down her face, and she found it hard to breathe. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was racing. All her thoughts, all her feelings mashed together into a thick cloud. The more she thought about the moment she saw him walk back into her life, the more confused she became. Vida arrived behind her, slamming the door closed.

"I swear I'm going to kill him!" She snarled, coming over to Maddie's side and holding her.

"I can't believe he's here!" Maddie whimpered, drawing into herself. "I've wished for this for so long..."

"You can't seriously be thinking of forgiving him!" Vida shrieked, pulling Maddie away a little to look into her face. "Maddie!"

She looked into herself, trying to find an answer. Only a short time ago, less than a couple of days ago, there would have been no question about her reaction. She had been waiting for him for three years. She had given up almost everything in the hope he'd come back to her. Far from leaving the room, she'd have thrown herself the full length of the room into his arms. Just grabbed him and never let him out of her grip. But now there were other thoughts in her mind and other feelings in her heart.

Since she finally allowed the others to speak to her about Nick without biting their heads off or giving them the silent treatment, she had found herself starting to listen to what they had to say. Despite her love, she found them beginning to make some sense. She had doubted some of his behaviour towards her. The moment she saw him, she felt the rush in her heart she always had, but it was now mingled with something else. Something she'd never have thought she'd feel at seeing him again, and which caused her to flee the room in her confusion. She felt anger.

"I can't help it sis, I've loved him for all this time." She mumbled, wiping her face with her wrist. "I don't know what to do. He's hurt me so much, when I saw him I didn't know whether I wanted to slap him or kiss him."

"Try a slap and a good hard knee where it hurts!" Vida spat aggressively. "He has no right to do this to you again. Please don't let him put you through all this a second time."

Maddie wanted to answer, but the more she thought, the more confused she became. She wished Xander was there, he always helped her straighten out her head.

Of course she knew that he wouldn't be. She had left before him, but she figured that seeing her reaction, coming to comfort her would be the last thing on his mind. He must have seen the way she looked at Nick. She knew now how he felt about her; it had to be devastating to him to see that. She figured if he wasn't currently pounding the crap out of him, he'd have stormed off again. She kind of hoped that was what had happened. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to hurt the other over her.

It felt terrible to think that she might have hurt him again. He had done so much for her, he deserved better than that. He deserved better than her.

"Why did he have to come back now?" She asked weakly. "It was hard enough to get to this point."

"What point is that exactly?" Vida asked her, looking at her a little quizzically.

"I was starting..." She stammered, thinking about what she was trying to say. "I...I was starting to believe that I didn't need him."

"Well halle-bloody-lujah!" Vida stated a little coldly.

"You don't understand I was really beginning to think that I didn't need him in my life." She sighed, sweeping some hair out of her face. "I was really grateful to you all. I was beginning to make my way through this, but when I saw him, I just...I couldn't help my feelings..."

"What about Xander?" Vida asked a little angrily.

"I know he's probably turned his back on me..."

"Maddie, he loves you, he'd never turn his back on you." Vida reminded her. "But he's spent all this time with you when Nick left town and clearly didn't give a damn about you. Do you really think you're being fair to him?"

"But I can't help my feelings..."

"What about your feelings for Xander?" Vida asked her. "Don't try and lie to me, I know you have feelings for him, it's been obvious for a while now. I saw the way you kept looking at him."

Maddie had to think about that one. She had been so focussed on Nick; she'd never really given much thought to what she had been feeling for him. Not in any serious way. She definitely knew that she felt something for him; he was much more than a friend.

She cast her mind back to all the times she talked to him about anything that was on her mind, all the times he came to her apartment than for no other reason than to see how she was feeling. She thought about what she felt like any time he would smile at her. No matter how low she was, his smile lifted her spirits. His touch made her feel good about herself, like she deserved to be loved.

Finally, she came across her thoughts as she remembered the night he blurted out his feelings for her. She had felt her heart racing, but not the way it did when she panicked. Having been such a shy, nervous person throughout most of her young life, she was accustomed to panic. No, the reaction was different. The pounding of her heart when she heard him announce his feelings was more like...her eyes widened as she thought about it. It was like she felt when she thought about Nick.

"I can't believe this." She murmured. "How could I not have seen this?"

"You haven't been able to see much beyond the end of your nose since bird-boy left." Vida answered.

"I'm serious V, what am I meant to do about this?" She asked her, her lip quivering. "I love them both."

"I know you can't help how you feel about Nick." Vida told her, holding her tightly. "You know how I feel about the situation, but it's your decision. The thing is you have to make a choice. Are you really able to forgive him for what he did?"

She got up to leave Madison to her thoughts, only stopping at the door.

"After that you have to decide where you stand with Xander." She told her. "He deserves that much."

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Nick came in. He saw the dark look on Vida's face and knew she was not having friendly thoughts about him.

"Can I speak to Maddie?" He asked nervously. Vida could tell by his subdued expression that he was there to talk seriously to her. She had guessed that Chip probably explained the situation.

"It's alright V." Maddie told her, wiping the last tears from her face. "I'll be OK."

"I'll be outside." V said, flashing a glance to Nick as a warning before she left. She wasn't keen on the idea of leaving her alone with him. He had hurt her so much when he wasn't even there; she was hesitant to let him have the chance to hurt her with his presence.

Meanwhile, Daggeron had too all but drag Xander out the back into the loading area following Nick's return. He could already tell that leaving him in the same room as Nick would only lead to bloodshed. As he released him, Xander slammed a fist into a nearby dumpster, before throwing himself back-first against it, running his hands through his hair. His face was already beginning to flash red.

"Look, I know how you feel, but you need to calm down." He said in a gently soothing voice, looking into Xander's face. Of all the things that could have happened, Daggeron would never have anticipated Nick showing up without warning here. He had some idea of how angry he must have been to see Nick. He had been the main source of Madison's pain over all those years, and so he was sure that Xander would hold it against him. Looking at his reaction, he was right.

"Calm down?" He roared aggressively, flailing wildly. "That self-absorbed son of a bitch just showed up here after all these years like nothing even happened!"

"I know you're angry. Hell, Maddie's my friend too I have a few words I want to say to him myself, but this isn't helping anyone." He yelled in his attempt to reason with the former Green Ranger. "You want to hurt him, and I can understand that. Just think what's best for Maddie."

"Why did he have to show up now?" Xander asked him, a couple of tears beginning to form. "She's already been through so much. We were beginning to make progress. She was getting better..."

"I have to admit that his timing is pretty bad." Daggeron conceded. "All we can do now is be there for her."

"But..."

"If seeing him again is doing this to you, think what it's doing to her." He explained, placing a hand on Xander's shoulder. "She's got to be going through a lot."

He slumped to the ground, sitting on the cold concrete and resting the back of his head against the dumpster.

"I don't know if I can do this again." He sighed. "It tore me apart watching her go through that the last time. If he takes off again, she'll be devastated. I don't know if I can watch her go through that again."

"Yes you can." Daggeron told him, smiling. "You can because you love her. You'll come through for her if she needs you. I have no idea what Nick's story is, or what his intentions are, but the one thing that's going to be true is that Maddie will need all of her friends."

He sat with Xander, putting an arm around him as he thought over what to do. It was hard enough seeing her this time; Nick's arrival would only make things harder.

"I also had to watch someone I loved pining after another man." Daggeron told him. "I know what it's like to watch one you love fall in love with someone else."

"Who was she?" He asked his mentor.

"It was Niella, Claire's mother." He told Xander, recalling the events. "I loved her with all my heart, but she ended up falling for someone else. He was my squire."

"What happened?" Xander asked him.

"She ended up marrying him." Daggeron continued. "They had Claire together. He died during the early days of the Mystic Wars."

"That must have been rough." Xander stated.

"It broke my heart when she chose him over me." Daggeron conceded. "But I loved her enough to let her go. If you truly love someone, you'll want them to do what makes them happy. Even if it does mean that you end up missing out."

"Who was he?" Xander asked. Daggeron looked at him a little curiously. "Niella's husband I mean. Who was he?"

"He was a squire." He informed his former student. "He was young and passionate. He captured her heart. Unfortunately it was only a couple of weeks after their wedding that he was killed in battle. Niella was heartbroken. It was that passion that she used to give her the power to sink the gates of the Underworld during the final battle."

"She had to raise Claire on her own?" Xander asked him.

"Claire was born only a couple of months before the final battle." Daggeron told him. "Udonna raised her after Niella died."

"You still love her, don't you?" Xander asked him. "Even after all these years."

"I do." He replied. "But I still respect her decision. It wasn't meant to be. It hurt, but in time that passes."

"I wish it would pass for me." Xander sighed, sinking into himself. Daggeron pulled him closer.

"It will." He replied.

Up in the apartment, Nick had been pacing the room for a while, trying to think of how to begin. He'd never seen Chip so angry, but he'd had to listen to him explain in no uncertain terms what had been happening with Maddie since he left. Chip was by far the most even-tempered of the team, and so it gave him some idea how serious the situation was that he was so angry. One of the others would likely have decked him, and right now he felt like he'd deserve it.

"I know this sounds lame, but I'm sorry, really I am." He began. "I know it can't make up for things, but all I can say is sorry."

"Why did you do it?" She asked him. "I thought you like me..."

"I did like you Maddie, I still do." He began with a deep sigh. "Look, I know it doesn't mean a lot but when I left, when I made that promise to you, I really meant it. I really did mean to come back to you."

He looked out of the window, unable to look Maddie in the face. This had been a long time coming. He'd never have wanted to have this conversation with her, but now he really didn't have a choice.

"I introduced Udonna and Leanbow to my adoptive parents back in LA, and we spent some time with my family." He continued with his story. "My oldest sister gave birth to my nephew. They called him Andrew. After that, my little brother got married. Things were pretty crazy; it was one thing after another. Before I knew what had happened, six months had passed and I hadn't called or wrote."

Maddie nodded in understanding. Nick had explained that he had a large family back during their Ranger days. His adoptive parents had adopted no less than seven children across the years. She could have seen a couple of family events causing a lot of chaos.

"After all that time I figured you'd have moved on." He told her honestly. "I thought you'd hate me, and I just kept putting off making that call. Over time it became harder and harder to make that call. It just seemed easier to leave it altogether. I never would have thought you'd wait all this time."

"I thought I'd done something wrong." Maddie said sadly. "I thought that you didn't love me."

"I did, but I knew that this would have hurt you." He told her, turning back to her. "I figured you'd hate me. I was sure you'd have moved on."

"How could I?" She asked him, looking at him, her eyes bloodshot from her tears. "I was in love with you!"

He felt his heart sinking as she said this, and knelt down before her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Mom and Dad thought it was time they went back to Rootcore, and I went back to touring. I was making my way through town and stopped off for something to eat. I came because I saw a sign in JKP and knew there was a store in town." He told her. "The pizza girl..."

"Lily." Madison corrected her. Despite not really having spoken to her, she had spent long enough with Chip and Xander during the day that they explained about who the others they saw at the ritual were, including their shared history as Rangers.

"Lily told me that Xander and Chip had come to open the branch here." He told her. "If I'd known you were here..."

"You'd have ignored me again." She said a little bitterly.

"I was going to say I'd have spared you this." He corrected her. "The last thing I ever wanted was for you to be hurt. I can't apologise enough for all of this. I'd never have wanted you to be alone."

He placed a hand gently on her cheek, looking into her eyes.

"Can you ever forgive me?" He asked her. Maddie smiled at him a little, drawing closer into a soft kiss on the lips. She pulled away afterwards, considering her answer.

"I don't feel the same anymore." She told him. "I can't count the number of times I wished you'd come back."

"And now?" He asked.

"When I kissed you, I just didn't feel that spark I used to." She told him honestly, another tear leaking down her face. "I love you Nick, a part of me always will, but too much has happened. I don't love you in that way anymore. I forgive you, and I hope we can be friends, but we'll never go back to that."

"I understand." He replied, feeling a little happier that at least he had made amends. "All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. I'm sorry for all the hurt I've caused."

"So are you going back to Briarwood?" She asked him.

"No, I have more travelling to do." He told her. "There's more to see on my journey."

"Well let me know when you're going to settle somewhere for a while." Maddie told him. "I'll send your blanket. I don't have it with me here."

"It's alright..."

"I'd like to." She interrupted him. "I don't need it anymore. You might though."

"I understand." He replied. He kissed her cheek quickly, before turning to leave. "Goodbye Maddie."

"Goodbye Nick." She replied as he left. Vida came back in as Nick made his way from the store. She came to her side, seeing her sister beginning to cry.

"Do you want me to kick his ass?" She asked her. Maddie just shook her head.

"It's over." She said with a kind of relief in her voice that Vida had hoped to hear for a long time. "I've finished it."

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that." Vida said warmly, hugging her deeply.

"There's one more person I need to talk to." She said, wiping her face. "Tell Xander I want to talk to him."


	42. Maddie's Decision

Xander made his way nervously into his apartment after Nick left. He had heard his motorcycle pulling away and shortly afterwards, Vida had found him, still talking with Daggeron in the loading zone. She had told him that Maddie had told him to go, a fact he was grateful for. He was unable to think of how he'd have felt had she allowed him another chance to hurt her the way he had.

His chest felt tight and cold as he approached her. She was looking at a group photograph they had taken shortly after defeating the Master before Nick left. It was such a simpler, happier time back then. He sometimes missed the simplicity of fighting the Master. At least then, it was so much easier to know what to do. A bad guy showed up and they fought him. There was none of the complications of the emotional minefield back then. She looked up as he arrived by the couch.

"V said you wanted to see me." He squeaked out, fearing what he was about to hear. He couldn't believe that he was about to hear what he had been hoping to hear for all those years. His mouth was dry, and he was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Sit down." She said quietly, gesturing to the coffee table. Xander sat down, looking at her as she prepared herself.

Maddie searched every inch of her mind in the hope of finding inspiration. Her heart held so many conflicting emotions that she couldn't sort through them all. Between her heart and her mind it was like she was trying to read 300 books all at once. Everything just melded together in a tangled mass like a massive ball of string. It was impossible to tell where to begin and where to end.

"I forgave Nick." She informed him. Xander felt his chest sinking as he heard this. Was that what she wanted to talk to him about? Was she letting him down easily? Telling him she was going to let Nick back into her life?

"I understand." He said a little sadly. "It's your decision."

"I'm not getting back together with him." She told him, pulling her hair back. "He's hurt me too much. I forgave him, and he's going to stay in touch, but we're never going to be more than friends. Too much water's gone under the bridge."

She got up and started pacing. The ball of string of thoughts and feelings in her mind was unravelling a little more slowly than she would have liked. She had to look anywhere but Xander as she tried to work through it all.

"I kissed him, but I just didn't have the same feelings that were there before." She continued with her explanation. "I didn't feel the same about him."

Xander couldn't think what to say. In many ways it was almost exactly what he wanted to hear. She was over him; she was ready to move on.

"You broke up with him?" He asked her as casually as he could. His heart lifted a little hearing this. Was this what she was telling him? Did he have a shot?

"Xander, we need to talk." She stated, sitting back down. "I'm not going to be with Nick anymore, I've given up on that obsession."

She took his hand, looking into his eyes. He felt his heart beating faster. This was what he had been waiting for.

"The thing is I'm not going to be with you either." She concluded.

Xander looked stunned, like he had been slapped in the face. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. She had called him up to the apartment to tell him she wasn't going to be with either of them?

"Was it something I did?" He asked weakly, a tear beginning to form. Maddie couldn't bear to look at him. She knew how much this had to hurt, and it was only going to get worse. She steeled herself for the next part.

"The thing is I don't feel like we've been honest with ourselves or with each other." She continued. "I feel like I've been walking around in fog for so long, and I lost all sight of what's right for me. You've been leading me for all that time."

"I did it because I love you..."

"Xander, I know you love me and you didn't intend this, but I was in a bad place." She stated. "I was vulnerable and confused and I didn't know what I wanted."

She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face back to her as he looked away. He could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes and knew that she was hurting as much as he was.

"As much as I like you, as much as I feel love for you I can't help feeling anger too." She explained. "It feels like all this, the comforting, the hugs, the tears, the coming to Ocean Bluff was all to manipulate me into returning your feelings."

"Maddie, I only ever wanted you to be happy." Xander explained. "I know I haven't handled things brilliantly, I've never been good with my feelings, but please..."

"Xander, I can't help feeling that anger." She told him. "As much as I'd like to give us a chance, that anger's going to be there. It'll only grow until I end up resenting you and it'll end up coming between us. We'll end up hating each other, and we won't even be able to be friends. I really couldn't bear that to happen to us."

Xander couldn't stop his tears as she spoke. It tore his heart in two to hear that she wasn't going to return his feelings.

"It will take me a while to get over this. I think before I can be fair to you...to anyone, I need to figure out what's right for me and be honest with myself." She explained, beginning to shake, her voice cracking a little. "It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to just get together with you, but I've been lonely as part of a couple for so long I've forgotten who I am. I need to learn to be happy by myself again before I can be fair to any partner. Even if that means we miss this chance. You understand don't you?"

He didn't, he wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around her. To take her in his grasp and kiss her, make her feel as wonderful as she truly was, but he could hear Daggeron's words echoing in his mind and he finally understood. If he loved her, he had to respect her decision. In many ways, she was right. He hadn't been honest with her from the beginning. He hadn't told her his true feelings and made his position clear. In some ways, his flight to Ocean Bluff could have been taken as a form of emotional blackmail, an attempt to force her hand. She was right. He wanted her, but not if that anger was there, not if he knew that his actions and his behaviour would end up coming between them. He finally nodded, barely able to speak.

"Tomorrow, V and I will go back to Briarwood. I need to get back to my own life and take some time to recover. There's one more thing though." Maddie told him. "I said we both need to be honest with ourselves. You never wanted to come here, your home's in Briarwood. You'll never be happy here. You also need to figure out what you really want. Maybe in time we can end up together, but for now I think its best we stay friends. We both need to sort out our own feelings before we can be fair to each other."

"I understand." He said the hurt obvious in his voice, though still feeling a little better at having clarified things between them. He could tell that Maddie was a lot happier than she had been. If that was all coming to Ocean Bluff had accomplished, then the trip had been worth it. They pulled into each other, hugging each other warmly.

"I'm really sorry I can't offer you anything more, but it's not the right time for us." She told him. "If it's meant to be, it'll happen when the time is right."

"Friends?" He asked her.

"Always." She replied smiling, glad that he had accepted her decision. This whole sorry affair had threatened to rob her of two of her dearest friends and her mind, but in the end, she had made it through to the other side.

"You know, the store's now closed, and I'm sure the pizza's either pretty stone cold or inside Chip by now." He told her. "How about I round up the others and we go to JKP?"

"I would like that." She replied. "Thank you Xander, I'm really glad you understand."

Later at JKP, the restaurant was still busy, though by now there was a little respite. Lily saw the Rock Porium crew enter and came over to them a little sheepishly.

"I didn't know that guy would upset you." She told them honestly. "I knew you had history..."

"Nick was our Red." Chip explained in a whisper. "He and Maddie had a thing once, it ended rather badly."

"It's OK." Maddie told Lily, seeing her apologetic expression. "It kind of needed to happen. We were able to talk some stuff out and we parted on a lot better terms than before."

"So you guys are OK?" She asked.

"Apart from the pizza going cold..."

"Well I have a booth in the corner, and it's all on the house." She interrupted Chip. "I still feel a little guilty."

"You had no idea who he was." Vida told her as they sat down.

"It's OK, we've made so much today I doubt we'll miss a couple of pies." She told them. "Same again?"

"Sounds good to me." Daggeron replied.

"I'll get you some garlic bread while you wait." She told them. "RJ will be over shortly to take your drinks order."

They sat down in the booth, Vida gave Xander and Maddie a little look, seeing them sitting next to each other.

"Maybe you two should leave the garlic bread." She suggested cheekily. Both Maddie and Xander looked at each other, realising what she meant.

"We've decided to remain friends." She told them. "I really don't think I need to be in a relationship right now."

"It's best for both of us." Xander chipped in. "We need to figure out what we want ourselves before we can worry about being with someone."

"Are you both OK with that?" Chip asked them, pulling Vida in closer to himself.

"We are." Maddie replied.

"I've also decided that this isn't the place for me." Xander interjected as RJ arrived with the garlic bread and a check pad. "Toby needs me here to hire and train staff, but once I've found a suitable replacement and trained him, I'll be coming back to Briarwood. That's my real home."

"Well I'm glad you finally figured that one out." Daggeron stated.

"Uh, did you say you need staff?" RJ asked him.

"Yeah, Chip's probably going back home soon." Xander informed him. "V and Maddie are going back tomorrow."

"Well I know a couple of guys who'll be looking for full-time work." He stated. "Now Fran's finished studying, Theo's looking for something a little more stable than splitting time between here and the Gym, and Flit's not doing well since we expanded. His phobia's really holding him back."

"One of your employees has a phobia that stops him cooking pizzas?" Vida asked. "What could he be afraid of?"

"Bug Zappers." RJ replied. "It's a long story, but he was bad enough when we only had one in the kitchen. Now we've got about four in the place."

"Well I'll ask them if they're interested." Xander replied, dipping some garlic bread and taking a bite. "Thanks for that RJ."

RJ quickly took their drinks order, before heading off to process it, leaving the former Mystic Force Rangers to their business. Chip took a couple of slices of garlic bread.

"I take it there'll be no romance tonight." Xander chuckled, gesturing to the Yellow Ranger as he wolfed down the bread.

"Hey, if I didn't kiss my boyfriend any time he'd eaten garlic of onions, I'd never kiss him." Vida chipped in, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. Chip just shrugged and carried on eating. "So how long do you think it'll take to train a replacement?"

"A couple of months should do it." He replied. "I think a little break from things should help me put things in perspective. That apartment really is pretty crummy isn't it?"

"Well you could do with new furniture." Maddie teased him. "That sofa definitely has to go. My ass feels like a pincushion because of those springs."

"You know you'll always have a place back in Briarwood." Daggeron assured him. "It always was where you belonged."

"It's not been the same without you." Vida told him. "Even Leelee's missing you. She and Phineas wanted you there at their wedding this summer."

"Speaking of Leelee, is that her?" Maddie asked as Casey and Camille came into the restaurant with Holly.

"Leelee?" Daggeron asked her. "Did you dye your hair?"

"Sorry, have we met?" Camille asked them.

"Hey guys." Casey greeted them. "This is my wife Camille, and my daughter Holly."

"Sorry, you look really like someone we know." Chip explained, searching his possessions for a photo of the whole Rock Porium gang. "Leelee's the blonde girl in the back."

"Hey, you do look like her." Casey agreed. "Do you have any relatives in Briarwood?"

"Not as far as I know." She replied, shrugging. "As far as I know all of my relatives died ten thou...er...a long time ago."

"Perhaps it's just an amazing coincidence." Daggeron suggested. "Would you like to join us?"

"Sorry, but we have some business with RJ upstairs." Casey replied. "Enjoy your pizza guys."

"Did you see that little girl?" Maddie asked them. "She was so cute!"

"Hey! Don't get any ideas there lightning boy!" Vida warned Chip, seeing a suggestive look in his eyes as he watched them go. "I'm nowhere near ready to be a mom!"

"Children have a strange effect on people." Daggeron chuckled at the scene. "I remember when Nick and Claire were babies. They just have a way of making everyone who sees them smile."

As they talked, Susan came into the restaurant with Jarrod, her shift having finally finished. Xander slipped down a little on his chair and Chip hid his face.

"It's that cop we put a memory charm on." Chip told them. "The one that was about to give Xander a ticket."

"Hey guys, how are you finding Ocean Bluff?" Susan greeted them, coming over to the table.

"It's nice." Xander said, eyeing up the police officer nervously, hoping that the memory charm wouldn't somehow wear off. "The people are really friendly."

"I found that too." She responded. Jarrod waved her over as he finally found a table. "Anyway, enjoy your meal. Maybe we'll run into each other again."

"Maybe." Xander said as she turned and headed over to Jarrod's table, taking her place with her boyfriend again.

"It looks like the memory charm was performed well." Daggeron stated. "You should be proud of yourself Chip."

"I am." He replied honestly. "Anyway, we only have one more night before you guys are going home. What say we celebrate properly?"

"That sounds good." Maddie chipped in, raising a glass. "To the New Rock Porium. May the new staff train quickly, and our friends come home safely."

"To friends." The others chorused, raising their glasses to the toast.

The following morning, Susan was called into the medical examiner's office in OBPD. She hated the annual medical examinations. It was basically a wasted day as far as she was concerned. All they really needed was to run a couple of training exercises and take a urine sample, but for some reason they seemed to insist on running every conceivable test. By the end of the day she felt like there wasn't a square inch of her that hadn't been punctured by a needle. All things considered, she'd prefer to be out in the field, doing what she considered to be "real police work." As much as many didn't mind being paid for a day where they didn't have to do any work, to her it was a waste of time. The doctor was accompanied by Commissioner Harris.

"Sir?" She asked curiously. To say it was a surprise to see him there would be an understatement. There was no reason for the commissioner to be present for the results of examinations. Normally all he had to do was counter-sign the forms.

"Lieutenant Rhodes, please take a seat." He said to her as the medical examiner closed the door. Her nerves started to play on her now. What had they found? Had someone tampered with her results? She felt fine. "Your urine sample has turned up something unexpected for us. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what sir?" She asked him, thoroughly bemused. Was it possible someone had switched samples with her? It wouldn't be the first time it had happened that a cop with a habit tried to cover it up by switching a sample with one that was clean. She had already spotted about half a dozen officers she was sure were steroid users, and she had her suspicions that some of the others used recreational drugs. "I swear I'm clean. I'll provide another sample right now..."

"It's nothing like that." He told her. "I think it's commendable that you want to stay on active duty, but you know someone in your condition is taken onto restricted duties as a matter of procedure."

"What condition?" She asked him. "What have you found? What's wrong with me?"

"You mean you really don't know?" He asked her. She shook her head. "You're pregnant."

Susan slumped down into her chair as the news hit her, hardly able to breathe or think let alone speak.

"I am not looking forward to telling Casey." She murmured to herself. "Casey and Jarrod are going to freak."


	43. Big News

Jarrod was finishing up his classes for the day up at the temple. As his students finished running through their drills, he called them all back to attention. They lined up before him obediently at his command.

"You've all had a long and relaxing holiday, but that ends now!" He barked, causing just the right amount of fear to motivate them without turning them from their training. "Now it's back to normality. Now it's time to get working, because your enemies will not be as kind as I am. Your animal spirits are still in their fledgling state, you must work hard to strengthen them! Class dismissed!"

As his students left, he looked up, seeing Susan at the rear of the courtyard awaiting the end of his class. A smile crossed his lips as he saw her. He had never been happier than when he was with her. His parents, his adopted parents, had never really shown him what it was like to love, and to be loved. Since he had gotten together with Susan, he finally knew what that felt like. He came running towards her, but was confused when she didn't greet him with her usual smile. He put his arms around her, but she pushed him away a little.

"Jarrod, we need to talk." She began. "You remember that night back at Christmas?"

"Of course I remember." He told her, trying to figure out what she was getting at. "It was one of the most amazing nights of my life. We both agreed..."

"Jarrod, I'm pregnant." She rushed out, almost hoping that saying it quickly would somehow make it seem like it wasn't such a huge deal, but that plan failed miserably. They had only been together just short of two months. It wasn't anywhere near the stage where they were talking about long-term plans. She looked up at Jarrod, seeing the wide-eyed look on his face.

"What?" He asked, his voice so quiet it almost didn't make it all the way to her. She could see the shock in his expression. Clearly he was about as ready for this turn of events as she was.

"I'm pregnant." She repeated quietly, looking into his eyes. Her heart pounded, terrified of his reaction. "Are you going to say something?"

She never expected him to be thrilled about the news; it was not planned by any means, but looking at him, all she could see in his face was horror. He seemed to be more scared than anything else. He pushed his way past her, hiding his eyes as he left. He didn't say another word.

"Jarrod!" She yelled, feeling some tears beginning to fall. She couldn't deny the fact that his reaction hurt. She wasn't exactly doing back flips with excitement over the news, she had only just moved to Ocean Bluff. She had only started her new job a few weeks ago, but now all of that seemed to have been thrown into the air. Dominic arrived, seeing her standing there, beginning to cry.

"Susan?" He greeted her. She threw her arms around him, leaving Dom feeling a little uncomfortable. He liked her, and he knew how Jarrod felt about her, but this was more than he bargained for.

Jarrod threw himself onto his bed, sitting there as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He didn't know what to think or feel. His own parents had shown him little other than neglect as he was growing up. He had no intention of treating his own kids the same way, but he certainly hadn't thought of having children just yet.

He loved Susan with all of his heart, but right now he couldn't face her. He just couldn't. The words rang out in his mind over and over.

"Jarrod, I'm pregnant."

Everything had changed. Nothing made sense. He tried to think his way through it all, but he couldn't. What did he know about being a parent? How could he raise a child?

He looked down at his hands and recoiled as the image came to him. He could remember seeing his hands clamped firmly around the rail of a crib as he wept. He could feel the same agony all over again as he recounted the day. He could feel the rail snap off in his hands as his grip tightened. The anger, the pain all came rushing back.

He loosened his fists and looked at his hands. He had tightened his fists so hard that his fingernails had dug into his flesh, but he was already so raw he hadn't felt it. His blood began to run down his hands.

He saw her all over again. The tears flooded down her face and her lip quivered as she looked up at him from the bed. She extended a hand to him, a shaking, bloody hand. Just like his now. Dominic arrived, seeing him staring at his hands as they bled.

"Susan told me." He informed him. "I guess this wasn't planned."

"I can't do this." Jarrod breathed, watching as the first drips of blood fell from his palms to the floor. "I can't go through that again, I just can't."

"Jarrod, everyone's scared when this happens." He responded, looking over his younger brother thoughtfully. "Camille was terrified..."

"It was my fault!" He sniffed, wiping his face with his sleeve. "The baby died because of me!"

"You can't keep blaming yourself for that." Dominic told him sympathetically. "Camille had gone through a lot; it was probably the stress..."

"I saw it happen Dom!" He snapped, unable to restrain himself. "There was so much blood..."

"Jarrod, that was then, this is now." Dom told him. "What happened to Camille was tragic, but you can't live the rest of your life blaming yourself for that."

"Why did this have to happen?" Jarrod asked him.

"It's not ideal, but the thing is, this has happened." He told him. "Susan's carrying your baby."

"What if it happens again?" Jarrod asked him, turning to face his brother, his eyes bloodshot from his tears. "I couldn't bear it."

"I'm sure Susan would be dancing the fandango." He snorted a little sarcastically. "I know how badly the miscarriage hurt you, but there's nothing you can do about that."

"So what am I meant to do then?" Jarrod asked him in a clipped, aggressive tone.

"Make a choice." Dom responded honestly. "I know it's too early to decide if you're going to stay with Susan or not, but like it or not, the baby is yours. You can either abandon it, or be there. Either way, Susan deserves to know whether or not she's going to be a single mother." Jarrod got to his feet, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"I'm not going to abandon my child." He declared. "I'm not going to abandon Susan either."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Dominic told him. "I knew my brother wasn't a coward. At least you have the decency to face up to your responsibilities."

Susan chapped the door gently, drawing their attention. Jarrod could see the red streaks down her face and cursed himself for his cowardice. He gestured her in, taking her hand.

"Susan, I promise you that I'm going to be there for you and the baby." He told her flatly. "I admit that I was freaked when I heard. You know about my past, you know why this scares the crap out of me, but as scared as I am, the only thing that matters is the baby."

"Jarrod, I didn't plan any of this." She said weakly, putting her arm around him and pulling him in. He saw her lips trembling and could see the panic in her eyes. "I'm scared too. I didn't want to start a family like this."

"I didn't either." He responded, kissing her softly. "But I promise that you aren't doing this alone."

Later at JKP, Casey and Camille came in with the baby for Lily's regular play date. She insisted on getting as much "practice" as she could before her own baby arrived, though it was now quickly becoming apparent that she just loved having the little girl around. If it wasn't for the fact that they weren't religious and never had her baptised, there was no question Lily and RJ would have been Holly's godparents.

"How are you little lady?" Lily greeted her warmly, lifting Holly out of the pram and holding her to her chest. "Has she been fed?"

"Fed, washed and changed right before we came over." Camille informed her. "You're good for a good while."

"Hey there!" RJ announced as he saw Jarrod and Susan arriving. They had come over, knowing that it was round about this time that Casey and Camille dropped off their daughter for some quiet time. "How are things?"

"Casey, can we talk?" Jarrod asked him without answering RJ's question. Casey looked at his one-time rival a little quizzically.

"What about?" He asked. Camille eyed them both and could see a certain distance between Jarrod and Susan that normally didn't exist. She was also curious.

"Use the back room." RJ told them, flicking a thumb in the direction of the door.

With that, the four of them went up into the back room. Jarrod ushered Susan into RJ's chair, seating her gently. The look between them was undeniable. They truly were in love.

"Casey, we've got something to tell you." Jarrod began, running a hand through his hair nervously. He knew that Casey wasn't exactly wild about the idea of him dating his sister, so this wasn't exactly likely to endear him to the Tiger Master any.

"Go ahead." He replied, gesturing for him to continue.

"Look, let me take a second." Jarrod said, shifting nervously from one foot to another. He had no idea how to say this to Casey. Although they were now friends, he knew that it wasn't likely he would welcome the news.

"Casey, I'm pregnant." Susan rushed out, looking somewhat hopeful that saying it quickly wouldn't garner the reaction she was expecting. "It's Jarrod's"

Camille looked around the room, almost hoping to look anywhere but at Jarrod, Susan or her husband. She could feel him trembling next to her, and could almost see his face flashing red and his fists clenching without looking at him.

"You slimy son of a bitch!" He roared, launching himself at Jarrod and tackling him to the floor. He began pounding on him furiously.

"Casey, please stop this!" Susan snarled as she ripped him off Jarrod.

"Casey this isn't ideal, but I didn't take advantage, I swear, I love her!" Jarrod called out, mopping blood from his lip with his hand. "Casey, I'm going to stick by her!"

"You've messed up her life!" Casey snapped as Camille and Susan tried to restrain him. "She's always loved her job..."

"Don't you think it's my decision to make what's right for me?" Susan asked him, getting in her younger brother's face. "I'm keeping the baby and..."

"I want her to marry me." Jarrod announced as he pulled himself back to his feet. Everyone, Susan especially, looked at him in amazement at his statement. "This isn't the way I wanted things to go, but the baby's going to have a father."

"Jarrod?" Susan asked weakly as she let go of Casey. She looked dumbstruck by what she had heard. They had only been dating a short time; it wasn't as if they had been having the serious talks yet. Jarrod didn't even look at Casey and Camille by this point. Despite the taste of his own blood as a result of Casey's beating, and despite their gaze, all he could think about was her.

"Susan, I know this isn't the way we wanted things to go, but I've never loved anyone the way I love you." He began, coming over to her. He slowly got down on one knee. "Susan, will you marry me?"

Casey had heard enough. He threw himself at the Lion Master, battering him ferociously. All he could feel was anger at his betrayal. He had taken advantage of his sister; he had betrayed every ounce of kindness he had shown him. He was dashed across the room aggressively. Looking up, he saw a lioness animal spirit dissipating. He knew that Jarrod and Dom had been training her, but he had no idea she was that far along, and given the form her animal spirit had taken, he could see where her heart truly was.

"Jarrod, are you sure?" She asked him. He could only nod in response. Casey backed off a little, letting him breathe. Jarrod could still see the fury in his eyes. He had never feared any opponent in his life, but the thought of taking on Casey terrified him.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life." He told her. "Susan, I want our baby to have a mom and a dad, but more than anything, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Susan looked deep within herself. Being a cop she had heard almost all the scams, lies and fake promises going, but she couldn't feel any of her usual instincts. She had none of her usual doubts. There was only one thought in her head.

"Yes!" She said as her tears began. Despite her reservations, despite her doubts, there was something inside her that just knew her future; her life was intertwined with Jarrod's. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Jarrod shoved Casey off him and stood up, taking her hand.

"Are you sure?" He asked her. "I now the baby..."

"This is nothing to do with the baby." She interrupted him. "I love you."

Casey stumbled away as Jarrod came over to her, wrapping his arms around her. Camille grabbed him, drawing his attention and shook her head to indicate that it was not his place to intervene. He loved his sister, and knew how vulnerable she could be, but he knew that it wasn't in her nature to make decisions rashly. He looked to Jarrod, their eyes connecting and nodded in understanding. He would never betray her, never turn his back on her, and never knowingly do anything to hurt her. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he knew what he needed to. Jarrod was serious about her, he would never do anything to hurt her, and he could see in his eyes that he would gladly die to protect her. He wasn't his first choice for a brother-in-law, but he knew he was sure that he was right for her.

"I guess I should say congratulations." Casey said as calmly as he could, extending a hand. Jarrod looked to Susan briefly before taking it.

"You have a pretty mean right hook." He conceded.

"You have a pretty hard head." Casey responded. Susan looked nervously between them, wondering what was about to go down. "If you ever break her heart, I promise you that I'll kill you."

"That is a promise you will never have to carry out." He assured Casey. "I mean what I say, I love your sister."

With that, he just nodded and indicated to Camille that it was time to leave. Susan came to Jarrod, putting an arm around him.

"You didn't throw one punch." She reminded him.

"I have nothing against Casey." He replied, feeling the burn of his bruises returning to him as the adrenaline started to wear off. "He's only looking out for his family."

"A family that's one member larger." She told him, before placing a hand on her belly. "Soon to be two."

"I thought you hated desk work." He chuckled as he kissed her forehead.

"I do, but I'll cope." She told him. "I love you Jarrod."

"I love you too." He replied.


	44. Reactions

Fran came into the restaurant, finding Lily sitting in the restaurant with Holly. It was still several months until the school year began, but her studies were now complete, and so she was now available for a lot more shifts than she had been. Finding it curious that Lily would be downstairs with the girl instead of upstairs in the apartment, she came over.

"Hey Lily." She greeted her. "Hi there Holly, what are you doing down here?"

The little girl cooed happily and stirred in Lily's arms, raising smiles from both of the women. Lily began bobbing her gently to help her get to sleep.

"Susan and Jarrod wanted to talk to Casey and Camille alone." She told her long-time friend. "They've been up there a little while actually."

Almost on cue, Jarrod and Susan came down the stairs. Lily could see from the swelling in Jarrod's face that something had gone down between them. Fran rushed over to them both.

"What happened?" Fran asked him. "Did Casey do this?"

"He did." Jarrod responded, putting an arm around Susan.

"What did he do that for?" She asked him, a little disgusted in her friend's actions. It had been quite some time since he and Jarrod had been at odds. She couldn't think what could have set them off like that. She knew Casey could have a bit of a temper at times, but it wasn't really like him to just attack someone like that. He and Jarrod had become reasonably good friends since he'd been separated from Dai Shi.

Susan looked up at him. The others needed to know what was going on.

"The reason he attacked me is because we have some big news." She explained. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh." Fran said, a little taken aback. She and Lily looked between each other, trying to gauge their reactions. It was little wonder Casey had flipped out when he heard. They knew it had taken a little while for him to get used to the idea of her dating Jarrod.

Of course this would not have done anything at all to ease Casey's relationship with Jarrod. It was pretty obvious from the way that Jarrod and Susan were acting that this wasn't something they had planned. They seemed more scared than anything else.

"Um...congratulations?" Lily said weakly. She was completely uncertain what to say about the unexpected news. Fran still hadn't said anything other than "oh" since they had told them.

"I need to call mom." Susan said quietly as she made her way towards the door. Talking to her brother was hard enough; she certainly wasn't looking forward to having to call her mom and her sister to tell them the news.

Jarrod breathed a deep sigh as he watched her go. There was still so much for them to talk about. There were a lot of things for them to arrange over the next while. Not least of which was what they intended to do once the baby arrived. One or other of them would have to give up their job to take care of the baby, and they would have to move in together at some point, that was before they even considered the wedding. He had proposed more out of a sense of duty than anything else, to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring that his child would be cared for. It wasn't that he didn't love her, he really did. It was just that they had only been dating for a short time. There was no way they'd be talking about any of this stuff yet if she hadn't fallen pregnant.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked him, seeing his somewhat distant expression.

"Yeah, sure." He lied. "I just need to...well...you get the idea."

With that, he left the restaurant. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she gathered Holly's bags and stood up.

"She'll want to go to sleep soon." She told Fran. She looked over to Fran, seeing that she was almost as distant as Jarrod and Susan at the news. She reached out a hand, touching her shoulder and drawing her attention. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little surprised." She said a little quietly, taking off her jacket and hanging it up. As she put down her bag, a small sandwich bag fell out.

"Theo's forgotten his lunch." She grumbled. "I'm sorry about this Lily; I'll be back in a few minutes."

With that, she quickly pulled her jacket back on and made her way out of the restaurant, heading toward the Rock Porium where Theo and Flit were about to start training for their new jobs. Lily watched her go, uncertain about her reaction. Normally the only time Fran was this quiet was when she was upset about something.

Susan made her way into her apartment, throwing herself onto the couch. This whole situation was such a mess; she couldn't believe that this had happened. She was normally so careful. After the incident back at the academy, and more time than she cared to recall dealing with domestic disturbances once she joined the force, she was always so careful not to end up leaving herself vulnerable with a guy. That was why to date; two of her previous boyfriends had taken restraining orders out on her, terrified of her after their rather messy break ups.

All that had gone out of the window when she met Jarrod though. Despite her previous bad experience at the academy, she had let her guard down and let things get the better of her. Before they knew what was happening, she was expecting a family.

There was a knock on the door, drawing her attention. She opened the door, finding Casey and Master Finn standing there. She turned around, gesturing them inside.

"Is Jarrod here?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"He went to clear his head." She told him.

"Look, I wanted to apologise for what happened." He told her. "I let my temper get the best of me. I shouldn't have hit Jarrod."

"No you shouldn't." She responded. "Was that everything?"

"I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you." He continued, sitting in front of her. He looked into her eyes, seeing the extent of her fear in her eyes. "I know I didn't exactly react well, but you're my sister and I love you. If there's anything you need, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Casey, that means a lot." She replied, taking his hand. "This thing has me really scared."

"Well I was kind of freaking out when I found out I was expecting Holly." He told her. "But you know you won't be doing this alone. Jarrod's going to stick by you, and you know I will too."

"So why are you here Master Finn?" She asked him. "Are you here to congratulate me?"

"Yes, but I also wanted to talk to you about something else." He began, taking a second to gather his thoughts. "Susan, you and Jarrod really need to talk about your future."

"Jarrod said he wants to marry me." Susan stated. "It's not ideal, but I kind of accepted."

"I'm sure you'll be able to make it work, but that's not really it." He continued. "It's more about the temple."

"The temple?" She asked him. She and Casey looked to each other.

"Susan, there really isn't an ideal time to discuss this. You know how important it is that we maintain the secrecy of the temple." He began, looking at her seriously. "Given the nature of your job, you will need to have your address listed with the department. That's going to be kind of hard if you and Jarrod are going to stay together."

Susan just stared at him open-mouthed for a while, unable to come out with any form of response. It was still so early in the relationship that they hadn't really thought about that, but he had a point. There was no way for her to keep her job and Jarrod to stay at the temple without compromising the secrecy of the Order of the Claw.

"You want me to give up my job, don't you?" She asked him.

"I couldn't ask you to do that, but it is something you and Jarrod will have to discuss." He told her. "There's no way he can maintain his position as Temple Master and for you to keep your job as well if you plan to move in together. Either you or Jarrod will have to give up your position."

Casey came over beside her and put an arm around her, holding her warmly. He knew how much her job meant to her. It was a cruel twist that as a result of this unexpected turn of events they would be forced into such a decision. It would likely have been a different matter if it had happened further along in their relationship, when they were ready for this, but like it or not, either Susan was going to have to give up being a cop, or Jarrod was going to be made to give up his home and his position at the temple.

"You know you remind me so much of your father." Master Finn announced, seeing her reaction. Both Susan and Casey looked up at him.

"You knew dad?" Casey asked him. Master Finn could see the surprise in both of their expressions. He pulled an aging, slightly tattered photograph out of his pocket and handed it to them. They had seen photographs of their father before, but this one appeared to have been taken a lot earlier than most of them they had seen. Casey had known that he looked a lot like his dad, but in this photo it could easily have been him. Only the age of the picture let them know it was their father. It showed him at the temple in training robes, wielding a pair of Shark Sabres, sparring with Master Finn.

"He looks just like you." Susan said to Casey. "I didn't know he went to Pai Zhuq."

"Who do you think taught him Kung Fu?" Master Finn asked them. "After RJ refused my training, I was so devastated. I was lost for so long. Then one day, I came across your father. He was so passionate and gifted. When he saw me using the Shark Technique, he insisted I teach him."

"But I thought the Shark Technique only got passed from father to son in your family." Casey stated. "I thought it stayed in your family until you taught me."

"Jack was a good kid." Master Finn recalled fondly, remembering that time all those years ago. "I refused at first, but eventually told me that surely it was better that someone learned the Shark Technique. He finally wore me down. Eventually I conceded and began teaching him. He surpassed all of my expectations."

"But he never mentioned any of this." Casey stated. "Mom never said anything either."

"He had a stubborn streak in him just like his son." Finn continued. "He kept maintaining that the Pai Zhuq should use their abilities to help the wider world instead of merely focussing on Dai Shi and the other creatures in his army. The elders and the others told him he could either bow to their will, or he could leave."

"So he chose to leave." Susan concluded.

"How do you think he earned all those commendations in the Fire Department?" Finn asked them. "You heard some of his stories. He should have been dead hundreds of times over. What do you think gave him the strength to save all those people?"

"His Shark Spirit?" Casey asked. Master Finn smiled and shook his head.

"Why do you think there are two tigers carved into Holly's crib?" He asked him. "Like father, like son."

"That was why you chose to train me in the Shark Technique." Casey surmised, seeing the look in Master Finn's eyes. "You did it because of dad."

"Your father was a remarkable man, and he made his decision." He told them. He turned his attention back to Susan. "I'm sure between the two of you, you'll figure out where your hearts lie."

Meanwhile, Fran arrived at the Rock Porium, finding Xander and Chip running through the finer points of the store with Flit and Theo. Theo looked up from a stock-sheet curiously as he saw Fran coming into the store.

"You forgot your sandwiches." She murmured gently, handing the sandwich bag to him.

"No I didn't." He told her, gesturing her over. "You made two sets of sandwiches remember? Those are yours."

"Oh, right, sorry." She mumbled. He put down the stock sheet, and came over to her.

"What's this really about?" He asked her.

"Do you want to use the back room?" Xander asked him. "We're nearly done with the inventory."

"Thanks Xander." Theo answered, leading Fran into the back. He could already see that she wasn't herself.

"What's wrong?" He asked her. "I know you're not that forgetful."

"Sorry, I've had a little on my mind this morning." She answered. "I should be getting back to JKP."

"Fran." He said flatly as she tried to leave. She let out a huge sigh and turned back to face him.

"I saw Susan today." She told him. "She's pregnant."

Theo sat down on a pile of boxes and gestured for Fran to sit with him.

"I guess that wasn't exactly planned." He told her, putting an arm around her. Fran shook her head, but he could see the look on her face that let him know she was upset. "You don't need to worry; you can be honest with me."

"I can't help it Theo, I know I should be supportive." She sighed, looking to her feet. She'd had so many emotions since she'd heard that she was completely confused. "I just can't help feeling jealous."

"Fran, I know how upset you were about that doctor's appointment." He answered. "It's only natural..."

"It's not fair Theo!" She snapped in response. "All I've ever wanted is to have a family. Now Susan and Jarrod are having a kid they don't want without even trying." She shifted a little uncomfortable.

"I hate this. I can't help feeling jealous and angry at them. When I heard, it felt like I'd been slapped across the face." She told him. "It was like fate was taunting me. Here I don't know if I'll ever have a family, and for others it's just so easy..."

"And now you feel guilty about being angry at them." He concluded. Fran nodded and pulled into him.

"I don't want to feel this way." She said regretfully. "I hate myself for this. I'm such a bad friend."

"You're not a bad friend Fran. You're only human." He told her reassuringly. "You only heard about this a couple of weeks ago. You wouldn't be human if you weren't still upset about this."

He held her warmly, comforting her in her time of need. He released her a little to look into her face.

"Fran, we all need to move on from this." He told her. "Maybe it's time you took those tests."

"Theo I..."

"Fran, when we heard, we were so upset that we just left without scheduling the tests the doctors wanted to run." He reminded her. "Maybe it's time we faced up to it. Maybe we should let the doctors find out how bad things are so we know what we're up against."

"I guess we could do that." She said gently. "I suppose I wasn't as fine with this as I thought."

"Maybe this thing is just what we needed to face this." He suggested. "We've been skirting around it since we heard."

"Thanks Theo." She replied, lacing her fingers with his. "I couldn't face this alone."

"You'll never have to." He assured her.

In Ocean Bluff park, Jarrod walked through the park in a daze. All around him, he could see young families enjoying the day. He didn't notice as Camille arrived.

"It's scary isn't it?" She asked him. "I came here a lot too when I found out about Holly."

She gestured over towards a tree a little way from where they were standing. She handed him a couple of flowers.

"That's where I said goodbye." She told him. Jarrod went over to the shade of the tree, kneeling down and placing the flowers at the foot of the tree. "It's only natural to be scared."

"I can still remember it all so clearly." He admitted, looking at the flowers on the ground. "Even though I couldn't do anything, I remember everything about that day."

"My pregnancy brought back those memories too." She said reassuringly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It took a lot for me to get over that fear."

"You had Casey." He replied. "I knew my adoptive parents never cared about me. I was always a second thought to them. I was always a burden. What do I know about raising kids?"

"What did I know?" Camille asked him. "It's one of these things that you'll learn. It's not as if there's some magical handbook that tells you everything you'll have to face."

"I don't know what I'm going to do." He told her. "I love Susan, but having a baby? That's way bigger than I'd ever have thought of."

"Well you seem to be making some pretty huge decisions." Camille conceded. "Marriage?"

"It's the right thing to do." He told her. "I'm going to be there for the baby."

"There's a big difference between supporting the baby and marrying her." Camille reminded him. "You've only been going out for two months!"

"You married Casey." He responded.

"We'd been together just short of a year." She reminded him. "Even then we waited until the time was right for us. I think it's commendable you want to do right by the baby, but marriage is a big step. You should only go through with it for the right reasons."

"Camille, I love her." He told her, standing up. "You know I do."

"So what difference is it going to make to wait a little while?" She asked him. "There're a lot of things you and Camille need to discuss before you go any further. Maybe you should sit down and discuss those things before you make any life changing decisions."

"I guess we need to talk some stuff through." He replied. "Thanks for this."

"Jarrod, I'll always be here for you." She replied, looking down to the flowers, taking his arm. "We have a connection not many will understand. You know you can rely on me."

"That means a lot." He replied. "Thank you."

Commissioner Harris was just finishing up some paperwork when his medical examiner came into the room.

"Excuse me commissioner, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked him. "It's about the results of the health examinations."

"Who failed?" He asked her, groaning. He knew he had inherited a lot of problems from his predecessor, but by now some of his less admirable officers were causing him a real headache. "Was it Murphy?"

"No, strangely enough he passed his fitness exam." She replied. "It looks like he can move when he wants to."

"Shame he doesn't want to more often." He replied sarcastically.

"It was the drug tests." She told him. "There's been a pretty huge mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" He asked her.

"Officer Peters was caught buying steroids." She told him. "I had to re-test him."

"So he failed?" Commissioner Harris asked. "I guess I'm not that surprised. There's no way someone his size should weigh 220."

"He made a confession under oath that he switched samples with another officer." She told him. "He managed to get into the testing room and switch samples with Lieutenant Rhodes."

"But that's impossible." He replied. "Her sample showed that she was pregnant."

"It turns out he was taking a number of masking agents to regulate his hormones and hide the results, but he screwed up the dosages, which is why he panicked and switched samples." She explained. "It was the hormone results that got screwed up. That's why the sample showed up positive for pregnancy."

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her.

"I just ran his blood sample under observation. It was practically glow-in-the-dark." She replied. "He's an Olympic class juicer."

"I need to call Susan in for another sample." He told his assistant. "She is not going to be happy about this screw up."


	45. A Time to Talk

Susan was sitting in the apartment with Casey and Master Finn, continuing to talk over her predicament when Jarrod arrived back with Camille. Susan looked up, seeing him with her, and could see that he clearly had a lot he wanted to talk about.

Susan had been told all about his history with Camille. She knew that as Dai Shi's vessel, he and Camille had lost a child. It was just one of the things she knew had to be playing on his mind when he'd heard she was pregnant. It was understandable that he and Camille would end up talking. It was just one of the things he would have to work through as they awaited the birth.

"Have you told your mom yet?" He asked her. Susan just shook her head gently.

"It's not exactly a conversation I'm looking forward to." She replied quietly, taking his hand. "Mom's always been kind of old fashioned. I know she's going to freak when she hears about this."

"Your mother loves you." Master Finn assured her. "Sure, she's unlikely to be thrilled at first, but the main thing she'll be concerned about is making sure you're alright."

"Master Finn's right sis." Casey told her. "Remember it took her a while to warm to the idea of Camille having the baby, and now look at her. Any time she visits, we pretty much have to use a crowbar to get Holly off her."

The phone rang, causing everyone to look round. Susan picked it up.

"Hello?" She asked. Commissioner Harris breathed a large sigh as he heard her voice.

"Susan, I know I said I'd give you a couple of days, but I need to talk to you." He said nervously. To say that it would be awkward to explain how this whole mess had happened. Only about two days ago, he had given her the news, and now he had to tell her about the embarrassing screw up in the lab. "Could you come into the office?"

"What's going on?" She asked him. "I've kind of got a lot on my mind right now..."

"That's what I wanted to talk about." He sighed. "Look, I really don't want to talk about this over the phone. Could you please just come into the station?"

"I'll be there soon." She responded gently, hanging up.

"What was that about?" Casey asked her.

"It was Commissioner Harris. He wants to talk to me about something." She told them. "It's probably about my maternity rights."

"I'll come with you." Jarrod told her, gathering his jacket. Susan gathered her own jacket as they prepared to make their way to the precinct, but she didn't say anything. There was so much she still needed to discuss with him. There was so much that needed to be decided that they couldn't just leave as it was. Not least of which was deciding what they planned to do with their future.

Fran and Theo waited in the corridor of Ocean Bluff hospital, waiting to see the specialist for further tests. Fran had been so upset when she heard about Susan's pregnancy; it had finally spurred them into action. She hadn't wanted to know at first just how bad things were. She had slipped into a kind of denial, as though not finding out how extensive the damage was would let her keep some kind of hope. Now though, they had finally accepted that one way or another, they needed to know. Even if it meant that they had the worst outcome confirmed and were told outright that she would never be able to have children.

"Mrs Martin, I'm ready for you." The doctor called from the door to his office. He ushered her into the office with Theo, and invited them to have a seat. "I'm really pleased you decided to have these tests done."

"Well we figured that we'd left it long enough Dr. Wallace." Fran told him, holding Theo's hand. "I need to know what our options are, before we go ahead and make any major decisions."

"Well I'll take you through all of your options once we have a better idea what we're up against." Dr. Wallace began, looking out her records. "I want to take you through a few tests to give us a better idea what kind of damage was done to your uterus. We should have a better idea what's going on once we've ran a few scans."

"Is it alright if I stay with her?" Theo asked him.

"We aren't going to be doing anything too obtrusive today, just some ultrasounds and a few other tests." Dr Wallace assured him. "There's no reason why you can't stay with her throughout the testing."

"Your room is ready Mrs. Martin." A nurse informed her. "I'll take you to your room where you can change."

Fran went with the nurse, leaving Theo in the room with Dr. Wallace. He could see the look in Theo's eyes and knew he was worried about her state of mind. It was bad enough that she had been made to face the possibility of never having children, though in a few hours time, she would know for a fact one way or another.

"She'll be fine." Dr. Wallace assured him. "Your wife's already handling this so much better than a lot of people I've seen going through this."

"She's really strong." Theo agreed. "I'm just worried what this will do to her if things don't go well."

"We'll be here with her every step of the way." Dr. Wallace said reassuringly. "She's in the very best of care."

Meanwhile at the police station, Susan and Jarrod made their way into the Commissioner's office, finding him sitting there with the medical examiner. He gave Jarrod a little glance as he saw him.

"This is Jarrod, my boyfriend." She explained. "You can say anything you need to say to me in front of him. It's alright."

Commissioner Harris closed the door to his office and started to pace the room nervously. Jarrod being in the room wasn't going to make what he had to say any easier. He still wasn't exactly sure of the specifics; all he knew was that he had mistakenly told Susan only a couple of days ago that she was expecting a baby. Now he had to somehow try and tell her that it was all a mistake.

"Susan, I'm really glad you came in. I didn't want to tell you this over the phone." He stated, sitting down behind his desk and picking up her medical records. "I'm afraid there's been a mistake in the medical examinations."

"What kind of mistake?" She asked him. The Medical examiner handed her the records.

"It seems like your urine sample was mixed up with that of another officer." He told her. "We'll need to take another sample from you for verification."

"My urine sample was switched?" She asked him. "So that means..."

"We were mistaken about the results of your test." He informed her. "You aren't pregnant."

Susan and Jarrod looked at each other, not knowing how to feel. While this wasn't exactly planned, and there was a certain level of relief, there was also a little bit of disappointment. They were already beginning to come to terms with what it would mean to them, and starting to think of the changes they'd have to make in their lives. As scary a prospect as it was, they were almost becoming used to the idea.

"So whose test is it?" She asked him. "Who switched samples with me?"

"Officer Peters." He told her. "He's been dismissed from duty."

"Peters?" She asked a little incredulously. "Peters is a guy!"

"How would his tests show up as pregnant?" Jarrod asked, totally confused.

"It seems he's been using steroids." Commissioner Harris explained. "When he found out about the exams, he started using hormones to mask his steroid use."

"I don't understand." Jarrod stated.

"Steroids work by altering the release of hormones into the system. Sometimes people take hormones along with them in order to redress the imbalance." The medical examiner told him. "When they go for tests, a lot of long-term users take a lot of hormone meds to cover their use. It looks like Peters did that, but he wasn't very experienced. He screwed up the dosages, and he panicked when he realised that he made a mistake. He got into the lab and switched samples with Susan."

"I guess it would have been pretty obvious what had happened if his sample showed that he was pregnant." Susan conceded.

"Pregnancy tests essentially just look for certain hormonal balances." The medical examiner agreed. "His hormone imbalance would have shown up on the test."

"So I'd like you to take another test, but we're sure your new sample will show up nothing." Commissioner Harris told her. "I can't apologise enough for this."

Susan just nodded in understanding and left with the medical examiner to provide another sample, leaving Jarrod in the room with the commissioner.

"I really am sorry about this." He said to the Lion Master. He had seen the reaction on Jarrod's face. He could understand him being upset that they had been put through this. He'd had the impression that Susan and Jarrod hadn't really been together for very long. Given the shock in her expression when she'd heard him say she was pregnant, it was obvious that it was not something she had planned for. "Is everything alright?"

"I guess so." He replied weakly, getting out of his chair. "I'll wait for Susan in the hall."

With that, he headed out into the hall and stood there, waiting for Susan to return, breathing a huge sigh. He didn't know how to feel. As scared as he was about the effect having a child would have on their relationship, he was starting to come around to the idea of being a father.

Of course it also weighed heavily on his mind that he had already said so much that he now couldn't take back. He had offered to marry Susan to ensure that his child would have a father. While Camille had tried to talk him round, and make him realise that he would never have asked her to marry him if it wasn't for the child. It wasn't as though he could take it back.

Of course first of all he had to find out if she even wanted to stay with him. He knew she had probably only accepted his proposal out of some fear of being left to provide for the baby alone. He knew she had lost her father at a young age, and so she was more than aware of how hard it had been on her mother taking care of the three of them by herself.

He had also been forced to face uncomfortable questions about the future of their relationship. As much as they had enjoyed their time together up until now, he had been made to face the fact that eventually he or Susan would have to sacrifice their vocation. He knew that the police force was important to Susan, that it was all she had ever wanted to do, and yet he knew that sooner or later her job would force one of them to make a choice. He knew he couldn't ask her to give up her career for him.

On the other hand, Pai Zhuq had been the only place he had ever felt like he had a home. It was the only thing that he had ever been good at, and the only place he really belonged. Could he really give all that up?

After taking the test again, Susan suddenly became lost in her thoughts. Like Jarrod, she had also had to face up to more than a few uncomfortable realisations about the future. She wanted to have kids at some point, but all of this had brought those thoughts into much sharper focus than before. She was relieved that she wasn't going to be having a baby just yet, and that she had found out about the false alarm before she called her mom or her sister. It was bad enough that she'd had to have that conversation with her brother, and that Jarrod had been attacked as a result of that.

Of course she was now also worried about how exactly she was going to bring up the subject of Jarrod's proposal. She was sure he would never have proposed if he didn't think she was pregnant. She knew he loved her, and that because of his own experiences growing up, he had just wanted to let her know he was committed to providing for his family. She had accepted more out of a fear of having to raise the baby by herself.

But she too felt that the scariest part of it all was that she had been forced to face the fact that they couldn't both keep everything they wanted and remain together long-term. As much as she didn't want to think about it, she knew that sooner or later, they'd have to make a choice. It brought an all too painful thought to her mind that she would never have wanted to face yet. She was now worried that they might not have a future together.

Back at Ocean Bluff hospital, Theo came back into the room, finding Fran lying in bed after taking a huge succession of tests. She hated being poked, prodded and scanned for hours on end, but she knew that in order to find out what they were up against, she had to go through it. The gown she had been given was not in the least flattering, but right now she couldn't care less. All that mattered to her was that her husband had come back.

She gestured him over, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hugged her warmly. He had been there for her throughout the whole day, staying by her side through as much of it as he could. He kissed her tenderly, looking deeply into her eyes.

"You're doing great." He told her. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Theo, that really means a lot to me." She told him. "I really couldn't have gotten through this without you."

Dr. Wallace came into the room, carrying a flipchart. He seemed to have a slightly puzzled look on his face. He observed the chart, double-checking the data on the chart.

"I'm really sorry we've kept you so long Mrs. Martin, but we had to double-check our results." He told her.

"What's the problem?" She asked him, pulling Theo into herself. "Is it bad?"

"Actually, no." He told her. "I really can't explain it, I have no idea what's going on with this, but...everything's normal."

"Excuse me?" Theo asked him. "Normal?"

"Mrs. Martin, you're one of the healthiest patients I've ever encountered in here." He told her. "There's no trace of damage whatsoever. It's like...nothing ever happened."

"You mean I can have kids?" She asked him nervously, a couple of small tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You mean it's not hopeless?"

"Mrs. Martin, there is no trace of damage whatsoever." He informed her. "I don't know what your secret is, but I wish I could pass it on to my other patients. Mrs. Martin, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why you can't have children."

Fran couldn't contain her joy any longer. She and Theo threw themselves into each other's arms, overcome with their excitement. She held him tightly in her arms, squeezing him warmly.

"Are you certain about this?" She asked, her lip quivering in fear. She didn't want to get her hopes up too much. She couldn't bear it if this was just some amazing dream. It would kill her if she had her hopes dashed again.

"Mrs. Martin, I am absolutely certain." He told her. "I don't understand it, but you're absolutely fine."

"Thank you Dr Wallace." Theo replied, grabbing his hand excitedly, shaking it firmly.

"I didn't really do anything." He told them both. "I'm so glad I got to give you this good news."

With that, he left the room to return to his duties, leaving Fran and Theo to celebrate their good news. They still didn't understand what had happened themselves, but right now it didn't matter. They had been given a tremendous gift, one that they welcomed without question.


	46. Happy Times

Fran came into JKP, practically floating on air after receiving her results. RJ was finishing up with the lunchtime service as Gabby sat quietly in the corner, quickly changing her shirt after her shift. This was the afternoon that she had nothing but study periods after lunch, and so she had agreed to help RJ out with the lunchtime business.

"Hi Gabby, how's school?" She asked her younger friend.

"It's not so bad yet." She commented, straightening out her hair as she threw on a jacket. "I've got a couple of months yet before my next exams, so Dom and my uncle agreed to take me for a training session at the cottage."

"You're really starting to enjoy those aren't you?" Fran asked her. "I take it that has more than a little to do with a certain rhino."

Gabby just laughed and shoved Fran away a little as she hard this.

"I train under them both anyway, but I find I get more…you know…actual training done if it isn't just me and Dom by ourselves." She admitted. "Sometimes we get a little distracted when we're by ourselves."

"I have to admit having similar problems when it was just me and Theo at first." Fran replied, thinking back to the very early days of her relationship with him, when he began showing her a few basic techniques to use to defend herself. "It was only when RJ would cast the odd critical eye over our training sessions that I was able to focus and take it seriously. Before I knew it, I was actually quite enjoying myself. Theo didn't know what to think the first time I asked him for a one-on-one training session and we actually just trained."

"I'll admit that I'm starting to find my stride too." Gabby conceded. "My Uncle's quite impressed with my progress. He says my animal spirit's getting really strong now."

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying that." Fran stated as RJ came into the room, carrying a stack of maternity books. He saw Fran and put the books down and came over to her.

"Hey Fran, I wasn't expecting you for quite a while. Your shift doesn't start for ages." He began. "How are you feeling? Are you still feeling up to it? How did the tests go? Do you need some personal time? I can get someone to cover…"

"I'm fine RJ." She interrupted him. "I just wanted to talk to Lily for a little while."

"Good luck with that, she's in a little bit of a mood right now." He told her. "She practically threw me out of the apartment. Something tells me her hormones are playing up."

"Tests?" Gabby asked her. "What tests? Are you alright Fran?"

It was then that RJ realised his mistake. Of all their friends, so far Theo and Fran had only really confided in RJ and Lily. It had only been a short time since she'd received the news following her accident at the university, and it wasn't something they really felt like talking about.

"It's alright RJ." Fran assured him, realising that he was obviously going to feel guilty about blurting everything out like that. She could see by the slight redness of his eyes he hadn't slept well, and Lily had been complaining a lot about her mood swings and various aches and temperatures. Clearly she hadn't had a great night, and in his somewhat frazzled state, RJ hadn't realised that Gabby hadn't left. Fran gestured for her to sit down, and joined her in a booth.

"Do you remember a while back I hurt my hip?" Fran asked her. Gabby just nodded blankly. "Well basically when they were scanning to see if there was anything wrong, the doctors found some…abnormalities…which they wanted to check in more detail."

"Is everything OK?" Gabby asked her, taking her hand. Since they quite regularly had shifts together, they had become quite close. Gabby used to regularly confide in Fran about things that went on at school and with Dom. In many ways, they saw a lot of themselves in each other. Fran smiled at her.

"Everything's fine Gabby." She told her. "Really, they just wanted to check me out to be sure there was nothing to worry about. They told me this morning, I'm absolutely fine."

"You'd tell me if anything was wrong, wouldn't you?" Gabby asked her. "I'm not a kid Fran."

"I promise you; absolutely nothing is wrong with me." Fran assured her. "Believe me, none of us think of you as a kid. If there was something wrong I swear I'd have told you."

"So everything's OK?" She asked, looking a little unconvinced.

"I promise you I'm fine." Fran continued. "Now go on! Don't keep Dom and Master Phant waiting!"

Gabby gathered her few things and went. RJ sat down with her, rubbing the bridge of his nose thoughtfully with a slightly pained expression on his face.

"I'm really sorry, I should have thought." He told her.

"It's OK, what I told her was mostly true anyway." She responded in a slight sigh. RJ saw a big smile coming to her face, one that he hadn't seen in her since the night of her trial. "The doctors gave me a clean bill of health. Everything's as it should be. There's no reason we can't have kids."

"Fran, that's wonderful news!" She gasped in a combination of relief and genuine happiness for her news. "Did they say what was wrong?"

"Actually, they said nothing was wrong with me." She told him, fidgeting a little. In her excitement at the news, she didn't know what to do with herself. Her feet shuffled around on the floor under the table, unable to remain still, while her hands began playing with a napkin, tearing it into little pieces. "There was no sign of any damage whatsoever."

"But what about the other test?" RJ asked her in response. "They told you that…"

"I'm not sure, but I think it might have something to do with what happened when we tried to perform that protection spell." She continued. "They showed me the scans, I saw the damage, it's like it wasn't even there. The only thing I can think of that's different between then and now is that the first scan took place before the ritual."

"You think this was some kind of side-effect of that spell going wrong?" RJ asked her, looking a little unsure.

"There's really no other explanation. The evidence is there. One minute my uterus is damaged, the next it isn't. Is it really so hard to believe magic had that effect?" Fran asked him.

RJ thought about it for a while. He had remembered that initially Lily had asked their new friends if they could heal such wounds, though Daggeron had sadly told them that this would be beyond their abilities. He finally just let the matter drop, and leant forward, kissing Fran's cheek. In the long run, it didn't matter how this had happened. All that mattered was that Fran was happy and healthy.

"I guess miracles don't need an explanation." He said sagely. "I couldn't be more delighted for you both."

"RJ?" Lily asked ask she nervously entered the room. Fran could see a couple of streaks running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was horrible to you…"

"It's alright Lily, I know your body's going through a lot." He said sympathetically, hugging her. Lily saw Fran sitting in the booth and pushed him away a little, turning to her.

"I'm sorry Fran; I must look like a fright." She stated, wiping away a couple of tears. Like RJ, she had known about the tests she was taking at the hospital. "I don't even know why I'm crying. My head's been all over the place today. How are you? How did the tests go?"

"Everything's just fine." She said, hugging Lily warmly. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked her. "You'd tell me if something was wrong wouldn't you?"

"Lily, can't you tell by the smile on my face?" Fran asked. "I'm not lying! Seriously, I can't explain what happened, but the injuries, they just...aren't there anymore."

Lily looked deeply into Fran's eyes and could see the joy in them. There was no greater gift she could have been given than the knowledge that she would indeed one day have a family of her own. Lily leapt forward, hugging Fran with an insane excitement.

"Fran that's wonderful!" She shrieked as she squeezed Fran with an amazing strength. She struggled for breath in Lily's grip, but she couldn't hold in her own excitement. A few tears leaked down her face.

"OK Lily, oxygen's becoming an issue." She joked, pulling away from her a little. "I just wanted to tell someone the news, I can't believe it."

"Come on, you need to tell me everything the doctors said." Lily rushed out, grabbing Fran and dragging her upstairs. "Come on."

"What about RJ?" Fran asked as they left him.

"He wants to catch up on his reading anyway." Lily told her. "Come on, I want to know everything!"

"That's his reading?" Fran asked her, remembering the huge stack of books he was carrying. "Is he just getting ready? Or planning to deliver the baby himself?"

"Please, don't give him any ideas." Lily muttered, her expression slipping a little. "I could do without another screaming match."

"Something tells me I don't want to know." Fran replied, remembering that RJ had mentioned Lily had thrown him out of the apartment before she arrived. She was apparently having a wildly hormonal day, but thinking about the future she could have with her family, she couldn't help feeling that this would be a small price to pay. After all, it wasn't as though RJ's life was in danger.

Meanwhile at the Rock Porium, Theo arrived after dropping off his stuff at the apartment. Xander was taking Flit through the finer points of his stock display system, while Daggeron sat at the back of the store playing solitaire. Chip came over to him, carrying a stack of music magazines.

"Hey Theo, glad to see you're back." He greeted him, handing him the magazines. "How's Fran?"

Theo really had to tell Xander and Chip about the tests at the hospital to clear his time off. He hadn't really been overly happy about telling them, but they needed to know why he needed that morning off. Of course explaining that Fran was going to the hospital for tests had led to more questions. He knew they were only concerned for her welfare, and so to stop them worrying too much, he had no option but to explain the nature of her problem. He couldn't hold in the happiness as he asked this. He put the magazines down on the counter.

"The tests all came back clear." He told him excitedly. "Fran's perfectly fine."

"Seriously? That's great!" He announced, shaking Theo's hand warmly. "Xander, everything's fine."

"Seriously man, we're all really happy for you." He added, coming over. "How's she feeling?"

"We're both ecstatic." He told them as Daggeron and Flit joined them. "She's been through so much; she really deserved something like this."

"Well I couldn't be happier for both of you." Daggeron told him. "In fact, I'm so happy for you, I'll violate my policy of only being here to train Chip and cover the rest of your shift."

"You're actually going to do some work around here?" Xander teased him, playfully punching the Solaris' Knight's shoulder. He gave his former charge a withering gaze.

"Don't do that." He warned him. He turned back to Theo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is wonderful news. You should be celebrating with your wife, not stacking shelves. I can do that for you."

"Thanks for this guys." Theo rushed out, shaking each of their hands in turn, before turning and running at full pace out of the shop. Flit returned to his duties as the former Mystic Rangers looked at Daggeron.

"I thought we couldn't do anything for Fran." Chip began, seeing a knowing grin crossing the Solaris Knight's face.

"I thought that kind of healing was way beyond our magic." Xander chipped in.

"It is beyond our magic." Daggeron replied, remembering taking Theo to plead their case to the Mystic Mother. "But it isn't beyond Good Magic. There's only one person who could have bestowed such a gift."

"It's just a shame they couldn't remember going to see her." Chip replied, figuring out what he was getting at. "They won't know who to thank."

"Does that matter?" Daggeron asked him in response. "You saw how happy Theo was. Just imagine how Fran feels. Sometimes miracles don't need an explanation. They only need to exist."

As Chip and Xander left to return to their duties, Daggeron picked up the stack of magazines. He chuckled to himself and smiled as he thought about what the Mystic Mother had done for them.

"It's an amazing gift you've given her." He whispered as he began stacking magazines on the shelf. "I can't think of anyone that deserves it more."

Susan had just finished a long and tiring shift. She had been partnered with Murphy again, meaning that she had done pretty much everything herself yet again. She threw her jacket onto the couch, and slumped down onto it, holding her face in her hands. She still couldn't make sense of anything that had happened recently. A soft chap on the door caught her attention. Crossing to the door, she unclipped the strap, a habit she had picked up across her career, and opened the door. Jarrod was standing before her. She just groaned and clipped the strap again, pulling off her gun-belt and putting it aside. Jarrod made his way inside.

"I've tried calling." He told her. "I got your answer phone a few times, and then you switched it off."

"Sorry, I've been busy." She replied, opening her fridge. She offered Jarrod a beer, but he refused with a wave of the hand. Cracking it open, she took a sip.

"Susan, we really need to talk about this." Jarrod began. "I know we've said a lot to each other because of this. A lot we probably wouldn't have said..."

"Jarrod, you asked me to marry you!" She sighed. "You were so scared about the thought of having a baby with me you stormed off on your own, only to come back a few minutes later and declare you want to spend the rest of your life with me!"

"Susan..."

"Jarrod, how could you possibly have known that's what you wanted?" She asked him. "We've been dating now for two months, you don't know everything about me, hell I know there's a lot I still don't know about you..."

"So ask me!" He spat bitterly. He gestured to the bottle, realising that his decision to refuse one was a little premature. Susan grabbed him another and handed it to him. "That's how relationships work."

"Jarrod, it isn't that simple!" She murmured, crossing the room to his side. "These things take time. I can't just ask you everything I want to know."

"You didn't seem to mind any of this when you said yes." He reminded her. "I was there, remember? Your brother had just finished pounding my face in and you told me you wanted to marry me too."

"I know I did!" Susan replied, sitting on the couch and running a hand through her hair. "I was scared."

"So was I." He told her. He sat with her, putting an arm around her.

"This isn't exactly a great start to a relationship is it?" Susan asked him. "We went way too quickly at the beginning."

"I think that one's a given." Jarrod replied sarcastically, taking some more beer.

"Jarrod, we were both going to get married because we were afraid." She told him softly. "You know how that would have ended."

"Susan..."

"We'd have gotten married and had the baby, but these problems would have still been there..."

"Susan, there isn't a baby." He reminded her.

"It just showed us that these things exist between us." She told him flatly. "We'd have been together for all the wrong reasons. We'd have made sacrifices for the sake of the baby and the marriage that we wouldn't have made. We'd have grown to resent each other and maybe the baby too. We'd have ended up miserable all because we were scared."

"Susan, there isn't a baby." He said again, stroking her back. She shrugged his hand off briskly. It was a hurtful gesture, that much was clear in his expression. She couldn't look at him.

"Jarrod, we would never have thought about this stuff for months, maybe even years if this hadn't happened, but the fact is that it has happened." She continued, taking a long slug of her beer. "We both need to know what we really want in all of this. We can't go on like this indefinitely; sooner or later one of us will have to make a choice."

"Susan, we don't need to worry about all of this now..."

"We need to worry about it sometime Jarrod." She sighed, setting down her bottle and taking a deep breath. "I think we both need to take some time to figure out where we want to be, and there are too many distractions here. We can't straighten our thoughts with everything going on here. I think we need to take a break."

"I could get Dom to look after the temple." He told her. "If you square some time off with the Commissioner, we could go somewhere and..."

"No Jarrod." She sighed, her tears beginning to fall as she took one of his hands. She looked into his eyes, seeing desperation in them and knew he had already figured out where this was going. It was hurting both of them just to talk about it. She felt her heart stopping as her next words came out. "A break from us."

Jarrod didn't say another word. He just got up and left the apartment, slamming the door as he left. Susan settled down onto the couch and pulled a jacket around herself for comfort. She felt like her tears would surely drown her as he left. It was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, but she was doing the right thing, wasn't she?

Meanwhile, Jarrod trudged through the streets of Ocean Bluff, making his way back towards the temple. His eyes burned, obscuring his vision as he went. His broken heart seemed to struggle to provide him with the strength to make his way through those dark, lonely streets. He never noticed as the heavens opened up, soaking the streets, almost as though the clouds were weeping with him. He knew that this was too good to last. Maybe it was his destiny to end up alone, just like his father.


	47. On A Break

Dom hobbled back to the temple with a few fresh bruises following the intense training session with Phant and Gabby. She didn't mean to hurt Dom, but she had only been training a short time, and so she didn't really have the same level of control over her actions as Dom and her Uncle. Although they were used to training in touch contact sparring, and were philosophical about the fact that accidents did happen, they just, by nature, happened a little more frequently with Gabby.

Of course he couldn't hold it against her. She was always so apologetic and supportive any of the times she did hurt one of them, it was impossible to be angry with her. He remembered fondly the long walk home with her. She couldn't stop apologising for hurting him and making sure he was alright. Of course as long as she kept hugging him the way she did when she walked home with him, he couldn't care less if his hip was dislocated, much less bruised.

After taking her home, he had made his long way back to the temple though considering the pain in his hip the journey seemed so much longer. The unseasonal downpour didn't make things any more pleasant. He was quickly soaked through, and his clothes clung to him. He pulled his jacket and his arms around himself tightly to stave off the worst of the cold as he made his way through the streets. Right by the edge of the woods, he saw Jarrod wandering slowly back. He seemed to be doing nothing to protect himself from the harsh weather, or to make his way through it quickly to get to shelter.

He approached Jarrod and placed a hand on his shoulder. Jarrod snapped round as though he had been shocked out of a trance, narrowly missing Dom with his hand as he instinctively reacted to defend himself. Seeing Dom there, he just turned without another word and continued on his way.

"Jarrod, what are you doing? You're getting soaked!" Dom yelled at him as they made their way into the woods.

Jarrod just looked around, as though only just noticing that it had been raining, though the soaked clothes stuck to his body testified that he had been out in the rain for quite a while.

"I guess it is a little wet." He replied quietly.

"Let's get inside, you'll get pneumonia." Dom stated, putting his arms around Jarrod and dragging him into the woods, where they got at least some shelter from the weather. Jarrod never said another word to him as Dom pretty much dragged him back to the temple. By the time they got into their living quarters back at the temple, they were both shivering with the cold. Dom lit a fire as Jarrod just sat on the edge of his bed, staring into space.

Dom gathered some blankets, first of all using one to roughly dry off Jarrod, before wrapping another around his brother.

"Would you mind what's upset you so much?" He asked his brother, removing his wet shirt and starting to dry himself. "It's not exactly the smartest thing to do, going for a walk in weather like this."

"I went to see Susan." He breathed gently, pulling the blanket around himself. "She broke up with me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Dom said sympathetically, more than a little surprised by what he had heard. Anyone who had seen them together couldn't mistake how much they cared about each other. They had been understandably worried when they thought she might be pregnant, but they were just so much in love. It just didn't seem to make sense that she had broken things off so abruptly. "What happened?"

"I've been trying to call her for a while, but I couldn't reach her, so I went round to her apartment." He began as Dom sat on the bed next to him. "She then told me that we needed to take some time to figure out what we both want with our lives. This thing's shown us a lot of things we haven't thought about. There's no way we can both keep our lives the way they are and stay together. Sooner or later Susan's going to be asked questions she'll have to answer."

Dom pulled a bottle of Saki from a cabinet in the corner and poured them each a cup. He handed one to Jarrod.

"This is for medicinal purposes." He explained. "So what happened then?"

"I reminded her that there wasn't a baby and we didn't have to think about long-term plans for a while yet, but she just kept saying that now these questions have been brought up, she can't just forget them." He continued, taking a sip. It hit the back of his throat, burning slightly, causing him to cough. "She said we needed to take a break."

"I know this must have hurt, but maybe a little distance is just what you both need." Dom suggested as he took a drink himself. "She didn't break up with you; she said she wanted to take a break."

"It's the same thing!" Jarrod snapped in response, tossing back his drink. "This is all because of that stupid drug test!"

"Jarrod, it's a part of her job." He reminded him gently. "She needed to take that test. If she refused she'd have been fired. Besides, she had no idea some jacked-up 'roid monkey would screw up his blockers and switch samples with her."

"If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have had that scare." Jarrod continued. "I wouldn't have proposed, she wouldn't have accepted and we'd never have thought about any of this. She'd still be with me."

"Jarrod, you aren't reading between the lines here. It's obvious she still loves you." Dom assured him. "She didn't say it was over, she said she wants some time to figure out what you both want."

"But we've only been going out a couple of months." Jarrod reminded him. "We don't need to think about anything like that right now..."

"So don't you think it might be saying something about her feelings that she is?" Dom asked him. "Like you said, she might not NEED to think about things like that right now, but maybe she WANTS to."

Jarrod smiled a little at this thought. He wasn't entirely convinced, and he knew Dom was only trying to cheer him up, to give him some hope that his relationship with her hadn't ended, but it was a thought that appealed to him. Maybe she was thinking of long-term plans for them.

"Dom, what do you think I should do?" He asked his older brother.

"I couldn't tell you, you're the only one that can decide what you want from your life." He responded, finishing off his own drink. "Just make sure you stay true to who you are. After all, that's who she fell for in the first place."

Meanwhile, Casey and Camille had only just finished with their evening meal when they heard a knock at the door. Casey came to the door, cradling Holly in his right arm, gently rocking her as he opened the door, finding Susan outside.

"Sis?" He asked a little surprised to see her. She was soaked as a result of the horrendous weather. Her hair was a mess, and she was shivering badly.

"Can I come in?" She asked him. Casey just opened the door and let her inside. As she took off her jacket, he could see that she was still wearing her uniform, though by now it was soaked through and badly dishevelled. It was obvious something was wrong, Susan definitely didn't spend as much time and attention on her appearance as her sister, but she usually took great care of her uniform. If nothing else, she always changed at the end of her shift, and he knew she would have finished hours ago. She was shivering with the cold as she came into his apartment. Casey ushered her into the sitting room, casting a glance over to Camille. Seeing the state Susan was in, she just made her way into the bathroom to get some towels.

"Sis, what are you doing?" He asked her as she sat on the couch. Camille handed her some towels before heading for the kitchen to make some coffee.

"Do I need an excuse to see my niece?" She asked him, beginning to dry herself off. She leaned across, touching the little girl's cheek. Holly stirred and flinched away from her as she felt her touch. Susan withdrew, realising that because of the weather, her hands must have been freezing.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset her." Susan rushed out as Casey began gently rocking her again, trying to soothe his little girl back to sleep. "I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, she's exhausted. I'll be putting her down for the night soon." He assured her. "Now why are you really here?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "I came to see Holly..."

"In the worst storm in years, still wearing your uniform despite the fact your shift finished hours ago?" He asked her. "Sis, your mascara's run and your eyes are red. I know you've been crying."

"I guess that's what I get for talking about my job so much." She groaned, settling back into the sofa as Camille handed her a cup of coffee, and set one down in front of Casey. "I just really wanted to be around family tonight."

"Holly looks pretty tired; I'll just put her down." Camille interjected, gesturing to her husband. Casey handed the baby over, allowing Camille to take her into the nursery to give them some privacy.

"Susan, what's happened?" He asked her. "Why are you upset?"

"It's Jarrod." She sighed. "I've really hurt him."

"The baby thing wasn't your fault." He reminded her. "I take it you two aren't going through with the wedding right?"

"We figured we were doing it for all the wrong reasons. We'd never even have talked about that if it wasn't for that bloody test." She assured him. "You don't need to worry; you're not getting a new brother-in-law any time soon. Maybe not at all."

"Sis, you know I wasn't wild about you and Jarrod..."

"I broke it off with him." She interrupted, gulping her coffee.

"Susan, I'm sorry. I know how happy he made you." He replied, hugging her. "I was never crazy about the guy, but he really made you happy."

"I just wanted some time and some distance so we could figure out what we both want." She continued with her explanation. "You were there when Master Finn explained everything. We can't stay together with things like this. Sooner or later, we're going to have to move on with our relationship and that would mean one of us giving up everything."

"You love each other, but this is only the beginning." He reminded her. "There's months, maybe even years to go before you have to think of anything like that."

"I just needed to cut out the distractions in my head, to make things less complicated so that I could figure out everything." She recalled from her conversation with Jarrod earlier. "I couldn't believe the look in his eyes when I told him I wanted to take a break. He looked so hurt. He hates me I know he does."

"I sincerely doubt he hates you sis." He said before he could stop himself. He didn't know why he would be sticking up for Jarrod right now. If he wanted to get him out of Susan's life, this was his best opportunity. She had broken up with him, all he had to do was just reassure her that she had done the right thing and it would all be over, but seeing her on the couch now, all he could see Susan as a sixteen year old girl, crying by her father's grave side. He couldn't bear to cause her that level of pain. He put his arm around her, pulling her in close. "Jarrod loves you."

"Have I made the right decision?" She asked him. "I mean, I can't ask him to give up the temple. He'd end up hating me; it's who he is..."

"Susan, why are you thinking about all of this now?" He asked her. "Like I said, there's months..."

"I saw it in my mind when I heard about the baby." She interrupted him. "I could see us as a family. I could see Jarrod and myself taking care of the baby, raising it."

She looked over to the door of the nursery where she was sure Camille was getting Holly off to sleep and smiled.

"I see what you have with Camille and Holly and I want it for myself. I saw Jarrod and me with a baby, and it felt right." She continued. "I could see us having a future together."

"I'm not going to BS you sis, but you know what the other option is." He reminded her. "You give up your career. Are you ready for that?"

"I don't know that's what worries me." She stated. "I don't know about this, I can't give up on this, I owe it to..."

"Dad." Casey concluded. "Susan, dad's dead."

"I know he is!" She stated, pushing him away a little. "Casey..."

"Susan, we know you love your job, but is it really what you wanted for the rest of your life?" He asked her. "Let's say you do leave Jarrod. Sometime, you'll meet someone else. You'll probably start a family. What were you planning to do? Have the baby in the precinct?"

"Don't be stupid Casey; there'd have been maternity leave." She stated.

"So you'd have gone back to work?" He asked her. "You'd have left the kid with childminders all the time?"

"I don't know." She groaned.

"I do, you couldn't have done that to your kid." Casey told her.

"What makes you so sure?" She asked him.

"Because I remember what it was like for you any time dad went on call." He reminded her, taking her hand. "I was too young to understand. It was a huge adventure for me, my dad was going out to be a hero, but you and Chelle and mom were always petrified. Mom hated the thought of getting that call saying something had happened to him."

He squeezed her hand as he thought about what he was doing. The thought crossed his mind yet again that this would be the perfect opportunity to get Jarrod out of her life for good. He couldn't believe what he was about to say next.

"When I saw you and Jarrod together, you were happy. You haven't been that happy since before dad died." He told her. "Your job has made you happy and I know you like it, but you only did it because you felt bad about the fact that arsonist was free and lit the fire that killed him."

"Casey..."

"Susan, you took on the job for him, not for you. You didn't want it, you felt like you had to do it." He continued. "You never wanted to do the job for the rest of your life; you'd probably have been looking to start a family within the next few years."

"You think I should give up my job for Jarrod?" She asked him. "But you hate us dating."

"Susan, if I really wanted to break you up, all I had to do was say that you were doing the right thing." He told her. "All I want is for you to be happy. You only did the job because you feel like you owe it to dad. All you have to ask yourself is, is that really enough?"

The following day, Dom came into JKP for his morning shift. He had left Jarrod to tend to the morning classes, while he took a shift in the restaurant. RJ was busy pre-heating ovens in time for the lunch rush.

"How's Lily today?" He asked the Wolf Master.

"She's hard at work decimating my supply of bacon." He replied in a chuckle. "Junior's got a monster craving. I guess we're in no danger of having a vegetarian."

"Four and a half months already?" He chuckled. "It still doesn't seem like that long ago she was telling us about the baby."

"Well I'm sure she'll be glad when the other half is over." RJ replied. "She really hates the harsher symptoms."

"Well I guess that's to be expected." Dom replied.

"How was training with Gabby?" He asked.

"Painful." Dom told him. "She's getting so much better though. I have a feeling that she's going to be one of the greats."

"Of course you're just not biased at all." RJ teased him.

"I guess I'm a little biased." Dom replied. "I'm planning on doing something special with her for Valentine's Day."

"Lily and I are hoping to go out for the evening." He responded. "Of course it all depends how she feels on the night. I just hope to have at least one more special night out before the baby comes. Something tells me that's one thing that's going to be a bit less common once the baby arrives."

"I guess so." He responded. "Anyway, how are we stocked for pizza sauce?"

It was coming into the afternoon by the time Susan left Casey's apartment. He didn't want her to leave during the storm and had let her sleep on the couch. Having thought long and hard about everything they had talked about the previous night, she had opted to call in sick so she could go and talk things through with Jarrod. She hoped that he would listen to her.

Coming to the top of the stairs, she found several students gathered in the main courtyard. There was a lot of damage to the grounds, and obvious signs of a struggle.

Rushing into the middle of the courtyard, she found several students gathered around. Many of them were being tended to for injuries.

"What happened here?" She yelled at one of them as he was having his arm put into a sling.

"We were warming up before class when some guys came into the temple and started tearing the place up." He replied, grunting in pain as the other student tied off the sling.

"Where's Jarrod?" She asked him. "Master Leo, where is he?"

"He came out to confront the attackers and they jumped him." He told her. "They defeated him."

"Oh my God, where is he? Is he alright?" She shrieked, her heart skipping several beats.

"He isn't here." He told her. "They took him with them."


	48. The Past Returns

Susan ran as fast as she could through the woods, ignoring the branches whipping her face painfully. Her blood burned like acid in her veins and her heart pounded furiously as she rushed into the streets of Ocean Bluff. Years of training to maintain her fitness in her career gave her the stamina to keep going despite how far it was to the restaurant, though her concern over Jarrod since he went missing gave her a strength that she was sure would be able to keep running, even if she weighed as much as Murphy.

She stumbled into JKP, struggling for breath with exertion. Gabby and Dom dropped what they were doing and came to her, helping her to a seat as she struggled for breath.

"What happened?" Gabby asked her, seeing the state she was in. It was obvious something had deeply worried her. She looked up at them.

"Someone attacked the temple." She informed them between gasps.

"Who?" Dom asked her. "What happened?"

"It was someone powerful, very powerful. He crippled half the students before Jarrod arrived." She told them. "They overpowered him."

"Someone overpowered Jarrod?" Dom asked in shock. Given his past, everyone knew how powerful Jarrod was. Between his Lion spirit and his mastery of the zukado power, he was easily one of the most powerful masters to ever exist. Neither of them could believe that someone, anyone, would have the necessary power to take him down. "How could they get into the temple? The charms..."

"One of the students said they fought in a style that seemed like they were trained at Pai Zhuq." She told them.

"That explains how they bypassed the defensive charms." He replied. "What happened to Jarrod? Is he alright?"

"They took him." She whispered gently, a tear beginning to run down her face. "He's gone."

Dom had to sit down as he heard this. It was bad enough to think that his brother had been attacked and had been hurt, but to hear that he had been kidnapped? This was too much for him. He had horrible memories of the time he was Dai Shi's vessel. Whoever had taken him had to have considered their options carefully. Taking on Jarrod was foolhardy enough, trying to keep him against his will without having immense power or a solid plan was nothing short of suicidal.

"Who could have done this?" He demanded.

"The students said they wore masks, but they were wearing the robes of Pai Zhuq students." She continued. "It was two men and a woman. They said their robes had seen better days, they were dirty and torn..."

"This is your fault!" He snapped, interrupting her. "Jarrod was in bits last night! He was still upset this morning! He was in no state to defend himself, if it hadn't been for you..."

"That's enough Dom!" Gabby snapped at him, holding Susan defensively. "Can't you see she's upset enough as it is? She loves him too."

Dom saw the stunned look in her eyes and relented. He could see that Gabby was right. He was frightened about what could be happening to Jarrod, and had let that boil over into anger. Of course, in lieu of being able to direct that anger at his abductors, he had lashed out at Susan for hurting him. He had convinced himself that if Jarrod had been thinking clearly he would never have been overpowered. Of course, looking at Susan now, he could see she was easily as upset about Jarrod's kidnapping as he was.

"I went to see him." She informed him. "I was going to make it up to him. I love him so much..."

Her words tailed off and Gabby held her tightly as she wept. Dom reached across taking her hand.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you." He said sympathetically. "I'm just worried about him."

"We need to tell the others." Gabby stated. "If someone's taken the risk of kidnapping Jarrod, I sincerely doubt that it's going to end there. If they took him down, we're all in danger."

Meanwhile, over at Master Finn's house, he was busy working on his boat. He always took this time every year to get it ready in time for the warmer weather of spring in time for fishing season. A shadow blocked his light, causing him to look up.

"It's always nice to get a visit from..." His words tailed off as he saw a face he had not seen in quite some time. "Where have you been?"

"It has been a long time." The intruder answered. He was tall, much taller than Finn, and had a large build. He had dark skin, and very short, black hair. He had an accent, despite the many years he had been in America. "It's been six years since you left the temple."

"Where have you been?" He asked. "When Dai Shi escaped we traced all of the students and returned them safely to their families, but you..."

"My friends and I escaped when we saw Master Mao being killed." He interrupted the Shark Master. "We went into hiding to train. We knew we were no match for Dai Shi..."

"You weren't the chosen protectors." He reminded him. "You had your chance and you were defeated..."

"And Jarrod was expelled!" He snapped in response. "We were waiting on one of us being chosen to replace him, or to compete for the remaining position. We had all trained for years that damned towel boy!"

"Tangaroa, he had his reasons." Finn implored his former student. "Just like when he brought you from New Zealand, he saw potential in Casey. I didn't understand some of his plans at times, but I always trusted his judgement."

"We went underground to prepare for the final stand!" Tangaroa barked at his former mentor. "We went to protest our case to Master Mao, and saw what happened in the forbidden room. When Jarrod released Dai Shi, we watched as he murdered Master Mao. Seeing the way the three of them cowered on the floor like rats, we were certain they'd be destroyed. Knowing that we were mankind's last line of defence, we went underground."

"But they weren't destroyed, Dai Shi was." Finn told him.

"We came out of hiding a couple of weeks ago." He continued, making his way out of the workshop and onto the beach. Finn followed him, keeping close to his former student. "We studied and trained harder than ever. Almost two years we've spent doing nothing but preparing for our destiny, the day we would go down in history as the ones who destroyed Dai Shi forever."

"But we defeated him months ago." Finn told him.

"That's what we found when we emerged, ready for battle." He responded. "No scenes of devastation, no battle ground, no rinshi. Everything was peaceful. It took us a couple of days to find out about the Rangers and the final battle against Dai Shi."

"Why did you come here Tangaroa?" Master Finn asked him. "Why didn't you return to the temple?"

"We did." He replied coldly. "We saw that Jarrod had taken on the role of Temple Master. That weak-willed traitor dishonours and demeans every great master who's ever led the ways of Pai Zhuq. What disgusts us even further is that while he stands there mocking every one of them, the protectors do nothing to stop him. That was when we came to the conclusion that Master Mao was wrong. They are as unfit to call themselves protectors as Jarrod is to even wear a robe, never mind lead the temple."

"What have you done?" Finn gasped, hearing his former student's rant. He turned on his former Master, sneering at him.

"We took the temple, showing his weakness." He replied. "And soon we will do the same to those who dare to call themselves defenders."

"Tangaroa, you have to stop this!" Finn implored him. "The Masters will never stand for this! You're turning your back on everything you've ever been taught! You're dishonouring the temple!"

"The temple disgraced us when we were cast aside like mere cubs!" He replied coldly. "They took everything from us! Our honour, our glory, our respect, everything! All we have left is to take it all back by force!"

"I don't want to hurt you, I've known you since you were a child, but if you dare to threaten those I care about, I will take you down." Master Finn warned him. "The Masters will not stand by and watch you disgrace everything you've been taught. We will fight with them and we will destroy you if we need to."

"Why do you think I'm here?" Tangaroa laughed as he pulled a pair of butterfly knives from his belt and pulled into a guard. "Why don't I show you what I've learned in all this time?"

Master Finn drew his Shark Sabres and charged his opponent with a bellowing roar. No one threatened his family and got away with it. Not even one of his favoured students.

Back at JKP, the others assembled quickly in the apartment. Susan and Dom had put out the calls to them all to assemble. If someone was seeking them out, then they needed to know about it and be ready.

"Where's dad?" RJ asked, noting Master Finn's absence.

"I couldn't reach him on his phone." Dom told him. "We'll go round and check on him after we finish here."

"I can't reach Master Swoop either." Theo told them, folding away his cell phone. "I keep going straight to his voice mail."

"My uncle's not answering either." Gabby told them, putting her own phone away. "Guys, I'm really worried. We should check on them."

"No one goes anywhere alone." RJ dictated. "Dom, Gabby, you two go and check on Master Phant. Casey and I will check on my dad. Theo, Fran, you two go and see Swoop."

"What about us?" Camille asked, gesturing to herself, Susan and Lily.

"Camille, like it or not Lily and Susan are the most vulnerable members of the group." He told her honestly. "Lily can't risk using her power in her condition, and Susan's animal spirit isn't strong enough to use in combat yet. I need you to stay here and protect them."

"I promise I will." She replied, handing Holly to her aunt. "Be careful."

"I promise I will." Casey assured her, heading off with RJ as they went to find their friends.

Jarrod came to, his head pounding and his vision blurry from his ordeal. He tried hard to focus, bringing his vision into as much focus as he could. He felt weak, and every muscle in his body ached. His nausea and his inability to focus properly informed him he had suffered a concussion as a result of his savage beating. He could recall very little about the battle, only that the three assailants all had extraordinary ability in the use of their animal spirits, and that they had mastered the zukado power.

Looking up, he saw manacles securing his wrists overhead, inlaid with dark runes. He recognised them from his time as Dai Shi's vessel. They were the same runes he used on his restraints to keep the powers of his captives under wraps. He tried in vain to summon his lion spirit, though he couldn't. It was like it was a real lion, and his ribcage was a steel cage, locking it inside. Whoever had brought him here had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure he wouldn't leave. He had been stripped to the waist, exposing various bruises and minor cuts from the battle which seemed to have been cleaned.

Looking around, he saw nothing of any real note. He was in a cave of some description, and light reflected around it from numerous metallic deposits in the stone. The air seemed stale and musty; informing him he was some way from the surface. Screaming for help would likely only succeed in attracting the attention of his captors and making his headache worse.

His attention snapped to the opening across from him as a familiar figure walked in. She was around 5' 1" tall and incredibly toned. She was Asian, and incredibly attractive. She was carrying a bowl of water and a cloth. She came to his side, setting the bowl down next to him.

"Grace?" He greeted her.

"Glad you remember me." She replied, beginning to clean him up a little. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd beaten you a little too much."

"Grace, we all thought you were dead." He stated. "What happened? Where have you been? Why are you doing this?"

"We all saw what you became." A voice with a distinctive Irish accent stated from the shadows. A man stepped forward, coming into view. He had red hair, with a thin moustache and goatee beard. He was taller than Jarrod, but not quite as heavily built. His pale flesh almost seemed to shine in the limited light of the cave. He came over to Jarrod, eyeing him up and down in disgust. "It was bad enough when you were a loathsome bully, but then you gave yourself to Dai Shi."

"It wasn't like that Sean." Jarrod responded as Grace continued to clean his wounds. "I didn't have a choice, he possessed me..."

"You could have died!" Sean roared, his spit flying in his rage. "Any of us would have chosen death over allowing Dai Shi to exist, but not you. Not weak, hard done by, pathetic Jarrod..."

"I was strong enough to beat the crap out of you Sean." He interrupted, reminding him of the day of selection. He hadn't just beaten him, he had humiliated him. He had brutalised him, and would have done so further had Master Mao not called him off. "You're really brave when it's three on one."

"We'll get the chance to dance again." He replied coldly. "You see, we've been shoved aside for too long. We're the ones who should have been chosen. We're the ones who should have had the honour and the glory..."

"You ran and hid like rats while those of us with a backbone fought!" Jarrod interrupted him bitterly. Sean punched him hard in the stomach, winding him.

"We prepared for the day we would be needed." He replied. "But your friends stole that from us."

"That's what this is about?" Jarrod chuckled as he began to regain his breath. "You're sore over the fact we finished Dai Shi before you could grab the bragging rights?"

"Don't worry; we'll take back our honour in the surest way possible. We'll take out the defenders and prove that the towel boy was not fit to fill our shoes." He snorted, glaring at him hatefully. "After that, we'll take out Dai Shi."

"You're an idiot Sean, you always were, but even you can't be stupid enough to see the obvious flaw in this plan." Jarrod taunted him. "Dai Shi's gone."

"Unfortunately for you, he isn't." Sean informed him. "Like everything else in your life, you were half-assed in your duty to destroy him. Instead of destroying him completely, you just satisfied yourself with defeating him."

"I vaporised him." Jarrod snapped. "He was destroyed..."

"This piece of him survived." Sean told him, pulling a tightly bound bundle of cloth from his robe. He unwrapped it, exposing a long, sharp dragon's claw. "He can no longer drive himself onwards, but his spirit still exists in a weakened state. We can use this to bring him back."

"You want to bring him back so you can finish him yourself?" Jarrod asked incredulously, struggling against his restraints to no avail. "That's insane!"

"Insane was letting you lead the temple, dishonouring the man you murdered!" Sean roared, punching him hard in the cheek, rocking his head. Jarrod looked back to him.

"Dai Shi killed him, not me." He reminded him. "Since you don't need me, why don't you just finish me?"

"But we do need you." Sean told him. "Dai Shi's spirit is so weak; he can't even act for himself. We'll need a host body to take him. That's where you come in."

Jarrod's face dropped as he heard this. He'd gladly welcome death over this. Sean clearly intended to make him Dai Shi's host once more. Jarrod had already caused so much pain and suffering as Dai Shi's vessel, he couldn't bear the thought of facing that struggle once more.

"It seems only fitting that you bring him forth once more." Sean told him. "After all, it was you that raised him the first time."

"You really are deluded if you think this plan's going to work." Jarrod responded. "For a start, it's not like the Masters are going to stand by and do nothing. Dom's more than capable of kicking your ass, and we have others to help."

"In case you forgot, only the worthy can enter the temple. That's where we'll invite the defenders for the duel." Sean informed him. "We've already taken care of the Masters, and your brother and the chef will be taken out of the picture soon."

"We've had you under observation for a while." Grace chipped in, stroking his abdomen with her fingertips. "We know who all your friends are. I have to say, that cop you've been dating is way beneath you."

Jarrod tried hard to get out of his restraints to respond in kind for that shot against Susan, but the manacles kept him firmly in place.

"If you've been watching us, then you know that Lily's nearly five months pregnant!" He spat in his anger. "She won't be able to fight you."

"That's their problem." He replied. "Once we're finished with them, we'll bring back Dai Shi. After that, your days are numbered."

He left the room, leaving Jarrod alone with Grace. She ran her fingers across his muscled chest, biting her lip as she took in his amazing physique.

"It's a shame we have to destroy you." She cooed seductively. "I always had kind of a thing for you..."

"You aren't good enough for me." He interrupted her abruptly.

"Please, I'm better than that cop you've been hanging around with." She replied bitterly.

"Her name's Susan and she's ten times the woman you'll ever be." He snapped. "You aren't fit to shine her boots."

Grace slapped him hard across the face for his hurtful words and stormed out of the room. He knew it was pointless to try and break free, and that his only hope for release now lay with his friends.

Casey and RJ arrived in Ocean Bluff hospital, carrying Master Finn's limp, lifeless and bloody form.

"Someone help us!" RJ called out as he laid his father on a nearby gurney. "He's been attacked!"

"My uncle's been attacked too." Gabby stated. RJ and Casey turned to see her on a nearby bench, being comforted by Dom, while Fran and Theo sat beside them.

"Swoop's been hurt too." Fran told him. "Someone's taken them all out."

"I think it's fair to say that this is way too convenient to be a coincidence." RJ stated as they gathered in the hallway. "Whoever's doing this, we need to find out what they want with us."

"They didn't take the Masters, they only took Jarrod." Theo reminded them. "What could this be about?"

"Something tells me that we won't have too long to wait to find out." RJ stated sagely. "I just hope that whoever they are, we find them before anyone else gets hurt."


	49. The Unchosen Three

The Rangers all assembled back at the restaurant after checking that the Masters were alright. Their condition was stable, though right now that was all that could be said. They still hadn't regained consciousness, and so the Rangers couldn't yet ask them who had attacked them.

They assembled in the apartment in mutual support of their fallen comrades. Lily held Gabby warmly as she thought about her uncle laid up in the intensive care ward. Both of them cared deeply for the Elephant Master, and although he was easily one of the toughest men they knew, he seemed to frail and weak as he lay on the bed hooked up to all those machines.

"I think by now it's pretty obvious that someone knows who we are and it taking us down." RJ stated, coming into the centre of the room. He still had his father's blood on his shirt, and everyone knew how badly he had to be feeling about the fact he had been left for dead. "The only thing we can do to stay safe now is find out who did this and why."

"Who could do this?" Dom asked him. "They took out Jarrod, and then they brought down the Masters. Whoever did this has to be packing some pretty serious firepower."

"The students that were attacked at the temple said they were powerful." Susan reminded them. "They've been trained in the ways of the temple."

"Well that narrows it down a little." RJ stated. "There haven't been that many students passing through the temple."

"Can you remember any that were really powerful?" Susan asked him.

"After they leave the temple, most students train by themselves." RJ stated with a shrug. "I can only vouch for the students in the temple, and I can't remember any of them being that powerful."

"So we're really looking for students that have left the temple." Susan replied flatly. "No one recognised them, and they didn't recognise their fighting styles. I think it's fair to say that whoever did this has taught themselves most of what they know."

"We really need to figure out who these guys are, but we can't leave ourselves vulnerable." Dom continued. "No one can go anywhere alone."

"Man, this is frustrating!" Casey snapped, holding Camille and Holly close. "I wish we could do something other than just sit and wait on these guys deciding to come and take us."

"Well until we have some idea what we're up against, there isn't really much else we can do." RJ reminded him.

"Casey's right, we should be out there looking for them." Dom interrupted his friend. "We have no idea what they're doing to Jarrod. I for one have no intention of waiting until they decide to make a move."

"Well at least we shouldn't be giving them an easy target." RJ replied, gathering his jacket. "Theo, you go to the Rock Porium and tell the others what's going on. We don't want them getting caught in the crossfire. They need to know if they could end up being targets. Fran, go with him. We don't need any more of us to end up being taken out."

"We will." Theo told him as he and Fran left. "Casey, you and Camille stay here with Lily. Dom and I will head into the city to look for them."

"I'm going with you." Susan told them bluntly, gathering her jacket.

"Susan, these guys are powerful." RJ reminded her. "We can't risk you..."

"RJ, I'm a cop." She reminded him. "I have more than a little experience in things like this. I've seen my fair share of crime scenes."

"Susan, these guys aren't typical criminals." He stated. "We can't guarantee your safety."

"I never asked for guarantees." She replied abruptly. "Jarrod's out there, and I'm going to help you find him. If you want to try and stop me, be my guest, but I can help. I know I can."

RJ looked to Dom who just shrugged. They knew Susan cared about Jarrod, and could understand her wanting to go with them. They also knew that she had inherited the same stubborn streak Casey had. It wasn't like they could talk her out of going with them.

"OK, but if we find these guys, you get your head down and keep it down." RJ warned her. "If they're a match for the masters, then we can't take any chances."

Fran and Theo were making their way slowly to the Rock Porium, keeping an eye out for any potential trouble. It wasn't by any means the first time they were under the impression someone was out to get them, but it had been a long time since they'd been under threat like this. Fran pulled into Theo a little as they walked by the harbour.

"I really hope they don't go after the others." Fran told him quietly. "I mean, I know they aren't helpless, but if this is something to do with us, then I'd hate it if they got hurt as a result."

"Fran, I'm sure we'll be fine." Theo assured her. "It isn't exactly the first time they'd have faced off against anything like this."

Almost on cue, Theo was blasted several feet from her, being thrown far into the harbour's cold waters by a worryingly familiar dark energy. Fran turned to the alley in time to see her attacker surging into her, scoring a telling kick a few inches below her left knee. Fran collapsed to the ground, clutching her leg, screaming in pain. Having been sent to the hospital more than a few times by her father, she was already aware that her leg had been broken.

She looked up at her attacker, watching her circle in front of her. Grace sneered dismissively as she saw Fran curled up on the ground, holding her leg.

"So this is the latest Master?" She snorted in disgust, gesturing to Fran's forearm. "When Theo dries off, tell him Grace said Hi."

"What do you want with us?" Fran asked her in pained gasps. "We've done nothing to you."

"We lost the honour of defending this world against Dai Shi." She snapped in response. "We've trained our entire lives for that…"

"It took all of us to take him down." Fran informed her. "If we'd known you were around, we'd have asked you to join us."

"So that those three could parade around like peacocks and rub our faces in it?" She asked her incredulously. "You really are pathetic. Soon we'll take the opportunity to prove it. Of course, we had to make sure we evened up the odds a little."

"You attacked the Masters." Fran stated. "You hurt all those students, you kidnapped Jarrod!"

"We simply wanted to address a grave injustice." Grace told her, dropping a scroll before her face. "When they're ready to face us, tell them to meet us at the temple. Just like before."

"So that's what you want? A rematch?" Fran asked her. "You must know that won't change anything…"

"It will in our eyes." She replied, casting an eye over to the harbour, where Theo was just swimming as quickly as he could towards the shore. "Tell them that no one else has to get hurt. If they don't want to meet us in the temple, we could always continue to take the fight to them."

With that, she turned and left as quickly as they had arrived. Theo rushed over to Fran's side, kneeling down next to her.

"Theo, my leg's broken." She informed him.

"I'll get you to a doctor." He replied.

"She said her name was Grace…"

"I know who she is." He interrupted her. "She was the one I defeated to become a defender."

"She said they want a rematch." Fran informed him, handing him the scroll as he helped her onto her one good leg. "They said if you don't go, they're going to keep attacking us like this."

"Well at least we know who's doing this now." Theo replied, helping her along the road as he tried to hail a taxi. "But right now, you need to get this leg looked at."

Susan went with RJ and Dom to Master Finn's place, searching for clues within the wreckage. It had only been a few hours now since RJ had found his father's unconscious body lying on the beach a little way from his house. He still couldn't believe that he had been taken down like that. It pained him to remember seeing him laid out in the intensive care ward. He had been assured that he would recover, it didn't make him feel any better. He hoped that he would get his hands on the man who put him in hospital soon. He was never a huge believer in revenge, but right now he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on the man who had injured his father.

"Is there anything here?" RJ asked Susan as she began looking around the site of the battle.

"Your father's swords are still here." She reminded him. "They have a lot of deep notches taken out of the blades. They must have been struck with a very heavy sharp blade."

"Something like my Rhino Blade?" Dom asked her.

"Without a lab work, I'd say it's something like that." She replied. "I really can't say anything more exact than that."

"There's no damage or mess inside the workshop, and there's no sign of a struggle inside." Dom stated, taking in the surroundings. "He left the workshop of his own accord."

"He knew his attacker." RJ stated. "Maybe it was one of his students."

"How many students has he taught?" Susan asked him.

"He trained Dom and I some of the basics." RJ stated flatly. "He taught your brother the Shark technique, but other than that..."

"There was another." Dom said, causing RJ to look around. It had been so long ago he had almost forgotten about the other student Master Finn had taken.

"Tangaroa." RJ replied.

"You know who did this?" Susan asked him.

"Tangaroa was the only other student dad taught before he left the temple." He informed her. "He was one of the ones that was considered as a defender. Lily defeated him in the trial."

"He was trained in the use of butterfly knives." Dom recalled. "Their blades are easily heavy enough to cause this damage."

RJ's morpher bleeped at this point. He opened the communications relay on it.

"RJ here." He answered.

"RJ, its Theo." The Blue Ranger informed him. "Fran and I were just attacked."

"Are you both alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Fran suffered the worst of it, she broke her leg." He responded. "It was Grace, the girl I beat to become a defender."

"That seems to confirm our suspicions." RJ replied. "We found evidence to suggest that Master Finn was attacked by Tangaroa."

"Grace sent me halfway into the Atlantic with zukado." Theo informed him. "I think it's fair to say it's them."

"Don't go anywhere, we'll come and collect you from the hospital." RJ instructed him with authority. "If all three of them are out there and looking for trouble, then the last thing we need is to give it to them."

Back at the cave, Jarrod could only stare at the disembodied claw of Dai Shi, sitting on a rock at the other side of his holding chamber, ominously foretelling his fate. He dreaded the thought of being forced to go through that again. He could remember in pointed detail the feeling of having every inch of his mind poisoned. Feeling a rage and hatred in his heart beyond what it was possible for a human to feel. As much as he wanted to turn from the grisly talisman, he couldn't. He could do nothing but stare at it, completely oblivious to anything else. He never noticed as Sean came back into the room, carrying a flask of water.

"Your friends will have gotten the message by now." Sean informed him, taking a long slug of water from the flask. "Would you like some?"

Jarrod wanted to refuse, he wanted to reject anything that Sean would offer him, but after all this time, his throat was parched, and his lips were becoming cracked and dry. He nodded to his captor, who approached him slowly.

"You didn't say please." He taunted him. Jarrod just glared at him. Sean chuckled insincerely and poured some of the cool, refreshing liquid into his mouth. Jarrod took a little comfort in the sensation as he hung on the end of his restraints.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Jarrod stated as the Irishman paced the room. "It was hard enough to defeat Dai Shi the first time, with all of us here to help, and you want to risk bringing him back?"

"It'll be a temporary measure." Sean assured him. He threw a folder full of newspapers documenting the Ranger's battles onto the cave floor. "Do remember that he's virtually powerless now."

"He gets stronger." Jarrod told him. "No one knows that more than I do."

"He got so strong because the Rangers were misguided enough to let him continue to exist in an attempt to rescue you." Sean told him. "Believe me, we won't make the same mistake."

"So your master plan is to kill me?" Jarrod asked him. "What's that going to prove?"

"It's going to prove that we should have been the ones chosen all along." He snapped in response. "Because we'll destroy him completely, and we'll accomplish this because we won't have the same misguided compassion those children did."

"Compassion is what separated them from Dai Shi." Jarrod barked in response. "Without it, we are beasts just like him and his kind."

Sean threw a hard punch into Jarrod's face, splitting his lip. Jarrod looked up to the door as Grace arrived back.

"Have you given them the invitation?" Sean asked her.

"I have." She replied. "I caught up with Theo and got reacquainted with him. Then I took out the latest Master. It's a shame she went down so easily or I'd be feeling a sense of satisfaction now."

"You hurt Fran?" Jarrod laughed at her. "You are so going to regret that when Theo gets his hands on you."

"Please, with the power at our disposal the protectors will be no match for us." She said, coming over to his side and stroking his cheek with an insincere tenderness. "They'll be destroyed easily."

"Then we might just let Dai Shi take care of the others." Sean stated flatly. "By the time we're finished, the glory that we truly deserve will be ours."

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Jarrod alone with Grace. He looked again to the claw, panicking as he thought about the prospect of once again being forced to strike out against his friends. He looked to Grace, hoping to reason with her.

"Grace, you can't seriously think this is a good idea." He implored her desperately. "You have to stop this."

"This is the only way we can get our honour back." She said quietly, drawing closer to him. Jarrod could see the look in her eyes and got an idea.

"I thought you said you liked me." He said in a whisper, hoping not to draw the attention of the others. "It's going to make it kind of hard for us to be together if you kill me."

"You want to be with me?" She asked, stroking his chest seductively, looking at him longingly. He could see her eyes straying to his trousers and tried to retain his composure. "When did you get this change of heart?"

"Let's see, I have the choice of dating a beautiful, powerful young woman, or get possessed by Dai Shi again, kill all my friends and be destroyed." He replied, looking into her eyes. "It's not exactly a hard choice."

He tried not to shiver at her touch as she considered her options. He knew she'd had a crush on him since their days as students at the temple. This was perhaps his best chance of ending the situation without bloodshed.

"What about the cop?" She asked him, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"She's out of the picture." He replied, craning his neck downwards as far as he could, drawing close enough to feel her warm breath on his face. "Between us we could take out the others."

"Why should I believe you?" She asked him, drawing closer, kissing him passionately. Jarrod closed his eyes and imagined Susan, returning her kiss in the hopes of turning her from her friends. As they parted, she smiled and started laughing derisively.

"How stupid do you think I am?" She asked him, slapping him across the face. "Do you really think I'm going to let you play me like that?"

"Grace..."

"Save it!" She snapped aggressively. "You know it's a shame that you have to be sacrificed. I wasn't lying when I said I like you Jarrod."

"If you love me then how can you do this?" He asked her. "How can you sentence me to death like this? I'd rather die than let Dai Shi hurt anyone anymore."

"If I can't have you, then why should anyone else get you?" She asked in response, picking up the claw. She rammed it into his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as it plunged into his flesh. "It'll take a while before Dai Shi takes control again, and I can't risk you doing anything stupid and noble like killing yourself and destroying Dai Shi too early. By the time you're strong enough to free yourself? He'll have taken over completely."

"Grace, you have to help me!" He cried out as he felt Dai Shi's spirit beginning to creep into his being once more. "Help me, please!"

"I'll help you." She replied with a smile. "When the time comes, I'll put you out of your misery."

Back at JKP, Theo, RJ and Dom had arrived, coming back to the others. Gabby ran into Dom's arms, hugging him tightly, overjoyed that he had come back safely.

"RJ told us they attacked you." Lily gushed as she held her friend warmly. "Are you alright?"

"Grace just tossed me into the harbour." Theo told her. "If she wanted to hurt me she could have, but I think she wanted to keep me healthy."

"Why?" Lily asked. "Why would she want to hurt Fran and not you?"

"I don't think the intention was to hurt Fran." RJ replied, presenting the scroll to them. "She only wanted to take her out of the picture. She didn't want Theo to be hurt because they need him healthy to take on the challenge."

"They want a rematch?" Lily asked.

"It really is that simple." Sean announced as he threw the door open. Grace and Tangaroa followed him into the restaurant, causing the few customers who were in there to watch intently. "I think we could do with some privacy."

RJ saw Tangaroa reaching into his jacket for a weapon, and held up a hand.

"No one needs to get hurt." He interrupted. He turned to his customers. "There's no charge, please just go, I'll make it up to you another time."

The customers didn't need a second invitation to leave, gathering their possessions and running from the restaurant as quickly as they could.

"That's better now isn't it?" Sean asked them. "I take it you received our message."

"We did." RJ said bitterly. "There was no need to hurt all of those people. If you wanted a fight..."

"We didn't just want a fight!" Sean yelled, throwing a table over, scattering plates and food. "If we just wanted a fight, then we'd have come for you directly. We just wanted to do this right."

"You challenged the three defenders to a duel." RJ stated. "Do you really think we'll comply with that?"

"Tell you what, you can either meet us three-on-three for a duel at the temple as tradition dictates," Tangaroa said, pulling out a butterfly knife and playing with it menacingly, "or we could always just rumble in public."

"Something tells me you'd rather the whole world didn't find out who you all are." Grace stated, picking up a soda and taking a sip.

"Where's Jarrod?" Susan demanded. "What have you done with him?"

"If you defeat us, then we'll tell you." She replied. "So what do you say?"

"There's a problem here." RJ told them. "Lily's in no condition to fight."

"That's your..."

"You're so up on the traditions of the temple Sean, so you should remember this." RJ interrupted him. "She's entitled to name a second to take her place."

"Of course." He responded. "Of course you should also know she can't name a master. If she selects a second, it has to be a student."

This caused them a problem. Dom and RJ were both Masters. Neither of them was eligible to accept the challenge in Lily's place.

"I can do it." Camille whispered to her. "Because of the pregnancy I never sat my Master's trial. I'm still eligible."

"Camille, we can't ask you to do that." Lily said gently.

"Lily, I can't let you risk the baby." Camille told her.

"And I can't risk anything happening to you." Lily replied. "It's bad enough Casey has to do this. I will not take the risk that Holly's going to lose both of you..."

"I'll do it." Gabby interrupted her. The others just stared at her in disbelief, she was getting better, but they weren't sure she was ready to take on something like this. "I'll be Lily's second."

"Gabby, these people are dangerous." Dom told her flatly, grabbing her shoulders. "You can't do this..."

"If we don't do this, then they'll expose us to the entire world!" She interrupted him, looking into his eyes. "Susan and I are the only ones who're eligible to take on the challenge. I might not be as powerful as them, but there's no way Susan's ready for that."

Susan wanted to protest, but knew that Gabby was right. Her training under Jarrod had barely even begun.

"Gabby, I can't..."

"Lily, you don't have a choice in the matter." Gabby told her flatly. "There isn't anyone else. I'll do it. I owe it to my uncle to do the right thing."

"I'm proud of you Gabby." She said warmly. "We all are."

"We'll do it." Casey announced, as he, Theo and Gabby stepped forward to confront them. "The temple at sunrise, we'll be there."

"See you then." Sean told them. "I'll look forward to it."

As they left to prepare for their duel the following day, the former Rangers gathered in the restaurant.

"Gabby, are you sure about this?" Dom asked her.

"I'm sure Dom." She told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll do the best I can. I promise."

"Well I think its best we get some training time in before tomorrow." RJ suggested. "Gabby, Theo, Casey, upstairs. Could you lock up please Lily? I have a feeling getting these three ready is going to be a lot more important than evening service."

As they made their way upstairs, Susan came over to Lily, taking the keys from her.

"I'll lock up down here." She told her friend. "You go upstairs and rest. All this excitement can't be good for the baby."

Lily just nodded and left. Susan gathered her jacket and left the restaurant in search of the others. She didn't want to say anything to the others, but even if they did win, there was no guarantee that the others would release Jarrod. Finding them and making her way quietly behind them, she followed on to find out where they were holding him. There was no way she was going to rely on them for the safety of the man she loved.


	50. The Duel Approaches

Sean, Tangaroa and Grace arrived back at the cave they had been using as a hideout after leaving the others in the restaurant. Watching them enter the cave deep within the woods surrounding Ocean Bluff, she made her way quietly into a rocky outcrop, concealing herself as best as she could.

She pulled her pistol from her jacket pocket and pulled out the magazine as slowly and quietly as she could to ensure it was loaded. She pulled back the slide, just far enough to check that the chamber was empty. She slid the magazine back into the chamber, clicking it back into place gently. She froze for a second as Grace turned around, looking directly in her direction. Her heart pounded as she worried that she had heard the clip being replaced. Armed or not, she knew she would be no match for them. She shifted a little, taking off the safety as she prepared to defend herself. If she took them by surprise, then it was possible she could take one, possibly two of them out of the picture before she was killed.

Grace furrowed her brows and stared into the gloom. Her keen eyesight caught a couple of loose rocks tumbling a short way from the entrance. Shrugging as she figured she was being paranoid about hearing something suspicious, and turned back to the company of her comrades. Susan breathed a quiet sigh of relief and relaxed her muscles a little, slipping her gun back into her inside pocket.

She looked around the cave for inspiration. There was large deposits of metallic ores and seams in the rock which reflected light from the entrance all around the interior of the cave, limiting how much she could move around without being noticed. While it wasn't exactly bright in the area she was nestled into, much of the cave was almost as bright as it was outside in the daylight. Looking around, there were literally dozens of side caverns, meaning that simply searching for Jarrod would be pointless. These caves looked to be old mines, they could extend for miles in every direction, and if it was as bright as this throughout, she was sure to be seen. Until she had a better idea of what was going on, all she could do was wait and observe them. Maybe they would give something away.

"We all have a big day tomorrow." Sean reminded them as he started to gather wood for a fire. "It won't be long now."

"It should have been us on the first place." Tangaroa stated harshly, helping to gather the wood. "How much longer do you think it'll be until the transformation is complete?"

Susan listened a little more closely as she heard this. They were obviously planning something, and if they had some kind of secret weapon up their sleeve, then the others would need to know about it.

"He's a strong one; he freed himself from Dai Shi before." Grace answered. "But I started the transformation over an hour ago. It shouldn't be too long before he loses himself completely."

Susan covered her mouth to stop herself shrieking in worry. Jarrod had told her all about his time as Dai Shi's vessel. He and the others had told her that Dai Shi had been destroyed. Was it possible that they had found some way to resurrect him? She had to try hard to breathe as the pieces all fell into place. That was why they had attacked all the other masters, but they had only kidnapped Jarrod. They needed him to act as a vessel for Dai Shi's spirit. She was horrified to think what he must be going through facing that again.

"Well I don't want us to leave anything to chance." Sean responded, getting up. "I'm going to the temple. We can't exactly turn up to a duel dressed like this. Tangaroa, go and find us something for dinner and start the fire. Grace, why don't you go and check on our guest? Make sure he's comfortable. Say your goodbyes while you're at it. Once Dai Shi's back, we'll make sure the job's done right."

Susan felt her panic returning and had to concentrate hard to stop from giving herself away. They weren't bringing back Dai Shi to follow him; they were bringing him back to destroy him. Seeing the two men coming towards her, she pulled further into cover, hiding from view. From her vantage point, she could see Grace heading down one of the side tunnels. Satisfying herself that they had gone beyond earshot, she made her way down the tunnel after her. She had no idea what she was going to do once she found Jarrod, all she knew was that she had to save him from the pain of wandering the earth under Dai Shi's control. Even if that meant bestowing the kind of mercy only someone who truly loved him could.

Meanwhile at the temple, Sean arrived at the top of the stairs, finding Flit working on the injured students, being aided by RJ. They had left the others to train, instead deciding to return to the temple. Since they knew that their enemies could enter the grounds, they knew that the students were not safe from them should they elect to return. The students beheld Sean in fear, recognising his torn, filthy robes and knowing he was one of those who had decimated the temple. Flit and RJ approached him slowly.

"I am a healer; I have no desire to see more bloodshed." Flit stated, stepping forward, holding a hand up in a gesture to stay RJ's hand. "State your business here and leave."

"He doesn't need to leave." Dom said coldly, arriving out of a side building, carrying an armful of dressings. He handed them off to one of the students helping with the others. He started to step forwards, his fists clenched, ready for action. "If he wants to fight..."

"Dom!" RJ interrupted him, flashing a glare his direction. "We've accepted the duel. If we break the rules then they have no need to keep their side of the agreement."

"They have my brother RJ!" Dom snarled.

"Your brother is still alive." Sean assured him. "For now."

"What do you want Sean?" RJ reiterated Flit's question. "Just get it and get out of here."

"Well we can't exactly go showing up for a solemn occasion like a funeral like this now can we?" He asked RJ, gesturing to his uniform. "We figured we should sort ourselves out with some clean clothing."

"You aren't fit to wear the rags you're wearing!" Dom yelled, grabbing Sean by the jacket. The student just laughed at him.

"Go ahead, strike me." He dared the Rhino Master. "Then my comrades will kill your brother, we'll finish off your fallen friends, and we'll take the fight to you in the middle of the city. We might even invite along a few news crews for company."

"Let him go Dom." Flit implored him, getting between them both and forcing them apart roughly. "I have patients to worry about, and the last thing I want is to endanger them."

"He's right Dom; we have to play by the rules." RJ reminded him. "Go and get him some robes."

"Excuse me?" Dom asked incredulously, his face boiling red in his rage. "You want me to..."

"He isn't going to do anything, just go and get the robes." RJ instructed him. He knew that Dom was understandably having a hard time keeping his cool. The beast war had cost him a lot. It had cost him his father, and growing up with his brother. Now these creeps were threatening to take his brother from him, and worst of all, Gabby, the woman he loved had been forced into the situation of having to face them long before she was ready, putting herself in danger for her friends. "Go!"

Dom growled under his breath and left, shoving his way past Sean. The Irishman looked around at the scene of devastation.

"There are so many memories here." He commented. "It'll be good to move back in..."

"We're playing your game Sean, just satisfy yourself with that and go." RJ told him abruptly. "We're facing you in this farce."

"We're looking forward to it." He replied, getting into RJ's face. "It's just a shame about that little brunette girl. She seems kind of cute. It would be a real shame if..."

"We're playing your game, now hold your tongue." RJ warned him. "I swear to you, if anything happens to Jarrod or Gabby, Dom's going to tear you apart."

"Please, after what we did to this place and his brother? He wouldn't last five minutes against us." Sean taunted him. "Maybe once we're finished, we'll take care of the rest of you just to complete the job. Of course I might spare your wife. She's a beautiful woman, and I love kids. Maybe I can comfort her after you're gone."

"RJ, no bloodshed remember?" Flit warned him as he saw RJ's mood darken. "He's just trying to get to you. Let it go."

Dom arrived back with the robes and thrust them forcefully into Sean's arms.

"Here, these should fit you." He snapped. "Now take them and go."

"Tell your friends we're looking forward to tomorrow night." He replied in a sneer, turning and walking away. As he disappeared into the darkness, Flit brought their attention back to the injured. They had gone back to the temple to take care of them and keep them safe. Chasing after Sean now would only lead to all-out war. Like it or not, for now the safest course of action was to play by their rules. Not knowing where they were keeping Jarrod, there was no way to get him back safely unless Sean and his cronies were made to reveal his location.

Back in the cave, Susan made her way silently into the holding chamber behind Grace. She watched as she lit a couple of torches as she came over towards Jarrod. Susan quickly found a place to hide and watched her. Grace picked up a damp cloth and began mopping blood that had leaked from the wound in his shoulder where she had stabbed him with the claw.

Susan felt a sickening knot building in her stomach. She could see that he was hurt, and that he was weak, most likely a combination of blood loss and mistreatment. Bruises covered almost the entirety of his torso and face, and there were patches of dried blood on several superficial cuts. The wound to his shoulder seemed to be recent, given that it had clearly only stopped bleeding recently. She heard Jarrod groaning as Grace cleaned him up.

"Don't touch me." He demanded weakly, trying to pull away from her. "Leave me."

"You're resisting Dai Shi's influence well." She complimented him as she put down the rag. "I always knew you were strong. It's one of the things that attracted me to you."

"He's not coming back." Jarrod responded. "I won't let him. I'll fight him..."

"You and I both know that you can't fight him forever." Grace taunted him, jamming a finger into the wound in his shoulder and twisting it, forcing the claw in further. Jarrod screamed out in pain, almost causing Susan to break cover and tackle her. She couldn't bear to see him suffer. "You know, if it's up to me, I might just let Dai Shi go and have a little fun first before we take him down. It would be a terrible shame if that pretty little cop of yours..."

"I'll never hurt her!" He roared, struggling against his chains. "She means everything to me!"

"Just like you meant everything to me." Grace responded, stroking his hair. "Of course you never returned my devotion, my love. You always shoved me aside. You always ignored me. Now I bet you're regretting your decision to turn me down."

"Not really." He said defiantly. "I never was attracted to psychopaths."

Grace slapped him, almost causing Susan to call out in triumph. She knew her one-person mission was important, and she couldn't risk this chance to free him, but she couldn't help feeling overjoyed at what she had heard. Despite everything he was going through, he clearly still loved her. She had never been surer that she had made a terrible mistake about him. She held her breath as she saw Tangaroa walking into the room. She pulled further into cover, watching as he entered.

"Sean's back." He informed her gruffly. "I've got us something to eat."

"It looks like our times up lover." She sneered, stroking his hair tenderly. "Next time we meet, I have a feeling things will be very different."

As Grace and Tangaroa left, Susan suddenly realised the major flaw in her plan. She was now trapped in the holding chamber with Jarrod. She couldn't risk trying to release him while they were there, she couldn't escape. She was no match for them, and in his present condition, Jarrod wasn't either. She found somewhere to secret herself and rest until then. Until sunrise when they left to face the duel, she and Jarrod were trapped.

Back at JKP, Gabby was sitting on the couch, nursing a few minor injuries with an ice pack when Casey came over to her.

"You did well today." He reassured her. "You're really impressed us. Master Phant's right to be proud of you..."

"Don't try to comfort me, you clobbered me." She muttered, dropping the ice pack on the table nearby. "You and Theo hammered the crap out of me."

"We've been training a lot longer than you have." Casey reminded her. "I'm really impressed; you did way better than any of my students..."

"Casey, I'm going to fail you." She sighed, her disappointment in her abilities getting the better of her. "These guys are dangerous. You need someone better than me."

"Gabby, everyone has to face someone who knows more than they do at some point." He told her sagely. "We're all beginners at some point."

"Casey, Jarrod's relying on us." She reminded him. "If I mess up, if I can't beat that guy..."

"It's three-on-three remember." He interrupted her. "Theo and I will be there too."

"But you'll have your own opponents to deal with." She responded. "Lily told me all about this Tangaroa guy I'll be facing. He's really tough and..."

"Gabby, just do your best. That's all you can do, any help you can give us will help get Jarrod back." He assured her. "You've already overcome the biggest obstacle, the one that most find it the hardest to overcome." He smiled at her warmly as Theo sat down with them.

"You've got the courage to fight for what's right." He told her. "Even when you know the dangers involved."

"Everyone's really proud of you Gabby." Theo said comfortingly. "You'll make us all proud."

The following day, Susan heard a commotion from the main room of the cave. Making her way quietly through the passageways, she found her way back to the main chamber, finding the three warriors, getting ready in their new robes. Tangaroa checked his butterfly knives as Grace finished off with some breakfast. Sean picked up a gleaming Jian, swinging it a few times to check it's performance, before shoving it into a scabbard on his belt.

"Well, we all know how important today is." He announced, rousing the attention of his two accomplices. "Are we ready to take back the destiny that was rightfully ours?"

The others let out a huge cry and rounded with him as he headed out the mouth of the cave. Susan watched them go, satisfying herself that they were gone before turning and heading back into the holding chamber. Jarrod stirred and looked up, watching her coming into the room.

"Jarrod, it's me." She greeted him. "I'm here to get you out of here."

"Susan, stay away from me." He begged her. "He's poisoning my mind. I can't hold him for long."

"Jarrod, I'm getting you out of here." She reiterated, beginning to check the restraints for some kind of release mechanism. "I'm not letting this happen."

"Susan, I can't hold him forever." He yelled. "Do you have your gun?"

"Yes." She replied, pulling it out of her jacket.

"Then put a bullet in my head." He instructed her. "You know I don't want to live like that again. Please, spare the world a lot of pain and do it."

"I can't!" She whispered, a few tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Jarrod I can't do that!"

"You can't let me endanger the world like that!" He answered. "Just do it!"

"I can't Jarrod, I can't lose you!" She roared. "I love you!"

She heard an evil laugh rumble up from his chest in a voice she knew wasn't his. He cast an evil glare over her and sneered at her.

"You sentimental fool." He spat in disgust. "Your weakness will be what sets me free."

With that, he summoned a dozen rinshi warriors into the room, surrounding Susan. The first one attacked, scattering her gun clean across the room. She pulled into a guard, preparing for the most important fight of her life.

"I'm not giving you Jarrod!" She bellowed wiping away a tear. "You're not having him. I love him."


	51. Susan's Heart

Casey, Theo and Gabby arrived at the temple a little before sunrise, awaiting the battle ahead. They finally got to the top of the stairs, making their way into the main courtyard, finding RJ and Dom finishing clearing the wreckage from the main courtyard.

"Where are the students?" Casey asked them.

"Flit took them to a safe place." RJ told them. "We figured it was best not to put them in danger."

"It's probably a good idea." Theo agreed as he pulled his tonfa from a training bag. "We already know they have no respect for other people's wellbeing."

"Are you ready for this Gabby?" Dom asked her, coming to his girlfriend's side and taking her hand, placing his forehead to hers and looking deeply into her eyes. "I wouldn't blame you for being scared."

"I am scared." Gabby replied quietly. "But being scared is no reason not to do what's right."

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" He asked her. Gabby smiled at him warmly.

"Not yet." She responded.

"If we're all quite finished with this little love fest, can we get started?" Sean asked as he and his friends arrived in the main courtyard. "Unless of course your strategy is to make me lose my breakfast and hope we all starve."

RJ grabbed Dom's sleeve to signal him to restrain himself.

"So this is my dance partner?" Tangaroa sneered dismissively, walking over to Gabby and sizing her up. He towered over her, causing her to shrink a little before him, though she suppressed her will to start shaking. She stood with her head up as he paced around her, looking her up and down like a piece of meat and snorted in disgust.

"She is no match for me." He stated, making his way back to his comrades. He stopped by Dom for a second, looking into his eyes. "She's pretty. It's a shame she won't be quite so pretty when I'm finished with her."

"I swear if anything happens to her, you'll repay everything you do to her tenfold." Dom warned him. Tangaroa just laughed and took his place back with his comrades. Sean looked over to Gabby.

"I see we didn't all observe the dress code." He commented, gesturing to her. Gabby felt a little self-conscious at this, looking down over her t-shirt and sweat pants. Not technically being in the order, she didn't actually own any robes.

"Don't listen to them." Theo told her as they made their way out into the courtyard to meet their opponents. "They're just trying to get into your head. You're strong, you know you are."

"You know things are rather crowded here." Sean commented. "I don't remember asking for an audience."

"Dom, it's time we left." RJ responded, making to leave. Casey grabbed his sleeve.

"RJ, when we left this morning Susan wasn't in the apartment." He told him. He couldn't tell RJ his suspicions in case the others took this as them cheating on their side of the agreement, but RJ didn't need him to explain. Susan wouldn't have gone to work when this was going on. If she left at all, there was only one thing she would be going for. She was looking for Jarrod. It was only then that he realised he hadn't seen her since Sean, Tangaroa and Grace had left JKP.

"She'll be fine." He assured Casey as they left. "Good luck."

As they got to the bottom of the stairs, RJ grabbed Dom and turned to face him.

"I think Susan's found out where Jarrod is." He stated, flicking a thumb over his shoulder. "Go to JKP and use the computer to find out where she went. I'm going to get some help."

"What are you talking about?" Dom asked him. "We have to let them fight the duel according to the rules..."

"Even if Casey, Theo and Gabby win, there's no reason for the others to give up." RJ told him. "It's not like we can get them sent to jail, they'll expose us out of spite. We need a backup plan."

"I take it you have one?" Dom asked him, getting a little grin on his face. He knew that when RJ had something in mind, things tended to fall into place a lot more smoothly.

"Leave that to me. You just find Susan." He told him as he ran off. Dom turned in the opposite direction to head towards the restaurant. Despite his worry over Gabby, he had to feel better. At least now he felt like he had something constructive to do.

Meanwhile in the cave, Susan was thrown hard against the cavern wall by a power blast. She hauled herself back to her feet, rounding on the rinshi opposing her. She cast a glance over to her gun. It was only about 12 feet away, but with the bounding warriors between her and it, it may as well have been 12 miles. One of them thrust a lance towards her, which she dodged, before grabbing it and ripping it from his grasp.

As the next attack came, she blocked it, before bringing the blade slicing through the creature, destroying it. She pulled herself clear of her opponents, sizing up her position. She was near the entrance to the cave, and her gun was still quite some distance away. She could easily escape, but one glance over to Jarrod, struggling to free himself from his manacles convinced her that she couldn't possibly leave.

Gripping the lance tighter, she surged to the attack, dashing her opponents this way and that. Dai Shi laughed as she arrived beside him.

"You're doing well." He complimented her. "You've already destroyed three of my warriors. Of course you'll be no match for me."

"That's why I don't intend to fight you." She snarled, taking down another of the rinshi in a shower of sparks. "I'm getting Jarrod back."

"I grow stronger with fear." He reminded her. "You will strengthen me enough to take control of this worthless fool completely."

"Sorry, but you'll get no such strength from me." She snapped as she leapt back to the attack. "I'll never fear Jarrod!"

Lily and Camille were in the apartment watching the action unfolding on the screen. Lily flinched as she saw Gabby taking another hard hit and flying across the courtyard. Camille held her.

"I shouldn't have let her take my place!" Lily shrieked, watching the scene in horror. "She's getting hurt because of me!"

"Lily, she's fine, she's getting up, look." Camille told her, gesturing back to the screen. Gabby was not by any means having an easy time with her opponent. He clearly outmatched her, and it was only her determination not to fail her friends that kept her in the fight. "She's holding out, and the others are doing well with their own opponents. Look, Theo's got Grace on the ropes."

"What am I going to say to Master Phant?" Lily rushed out, focusing her attention on Gabby once more. "He'll never speak to me again if anything happens to her! I'll never forgive myself if..."

"Lily, she took on this fight knowing the risks." Camille reminded her. "You didn't make her do it, she volunteered."

Camille held her more closely as Lily continued to track the action, unable to tear herself from the screen for a second. "You know how close you and Master Phant are. He'd never have allowed you to take this on. You know that."

Dom ran into the restaurant, short of breath from his run from the temple. He made his way quickly over to the computer and began tapping away on the keyboard.

"Dom, what are you doing?" Camille asked him.

"RJ thinks Susan followed Sean and his friends last night." He rushed out, pulling up a tap into the cell phone network. "We're trying to find her; we think she knows where Jarrod is."

He cursed loudly as the GPS tracking chip in her phone appeared to be blocked. He slammed a hand down on the console.

"I can't reach her!" He yelled. "Something's jamming the signal!"

"Try back-tracking to the last located signal of her." Lily suggested, coming over to him. She could hardly bear to see Gabby taking the beating she felt was rightly hers, and was somewhat thankful for a reason to tear herself from the screen. "Where was the last place her phone had a signal?"

"Her signal cut out about 9PM last night." He responded. He pulled up a satellite image of the area, locating it. "She was in the woods, a couple of miles east of here."

"There's an old iron mine out there." Camille told him. "They used to use it years ago."

"If there's still iron in the rock, that would block the signal." Lily concluded.

"I guess that's where I'm going to start looking." He told them, printing out the coordinates. "I'm going after her. Call me if anything changes."

He rushed from the restaurant almost as quickly as he arrived. Camille watched him go with more than a little trepidation.

"You don't really think she went after them alone do you?" She asked Lily. The heavily pregnant Yellow Ranger just looked at her a little unconvinced.

"Would you do anything different if it was Casey?" She asked.

Back at the cave, Susan was still struggling with her opponents. She was now down to the last half-dozen or so, but their numbers and her exhaustion were beginning to tell on her. She struggled as two of them grabbed her, holding her in place, while another kicked her hard in the chest, sending her crashing to the ground some distance away.

She scrambled around on the floor, before finding her gun next to her hand. Snatching it up, she chambered the first round. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, and she struggled to see properly, but she knew she would only get one shot.

"That will do you no good against my rinshi." Dai Shi taunted her. "You will fall to their blades before this day is out."

"I don't expect this to help me." She responded, taking aim. "But I do need help."

She squeezed the trigger, firing off a round. She smiled as she saw Jarrod slumping to the floor, the chains securing him to the wall falling broken by his sides.

"Jarrod, I need your help!" She screamed at him, returning to her opponents. "I can't do this by myself, you have to help me!"

He ran his hands through his hair, screaming as he fought for control of his mind. He looked up, tears running down his face in time to see Susan being knocked roughly to the ground. Roaring loudly, he surged forward, smashing the last of the rinshi into oblivion. He sank to his knees beside her, cradling her gently.

"Susan, speak to me." He begged her, looking over her body. "Please, say something."

"You helped me." She whispered gently, pulling herself onto her knees and throwing her arms around him. "You fought for me."

"I'll always fight for you." He replied, cupping her cheek with his hand, looking deeply into her eyes. "I should never have walked out..."

"I never should have let you go." Susan responded, reaching behind his head. She pulled him in, kissing him passionately. "I love you."

Jarrod held his head, screaming as he collapsed to the floor. He fought with every inch of his being to remain in control. Susan grabbed him, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Jarrod, what can I do?" She screamed at him. "Let me help you. What's happening? How can I help?"

"The claw." He grunted as he struggled. "My shoulder...the claw..."

Susan looked at the wound in his shoulder and realised what he meant. She reached into her boot, pulling out a pen-knife and flicking it open. She looked into his eyes, her tears beginning to fall as her heart froze.

"Jarrod, I'm going to have to hurt you." She warned him. "Please, hold still."

Jarrod fought with every ounce of strength he had left to retain control. He felt his hands reaching to stop her, but knew that this was the only way. He gritted his teeth and held himself fast. Susan plunged the blade deep into his wound, causing him to scream out in agony.

"Jarrod, I'm sorry, I need to get this out!" She yelled at him. "Please, it won't be much longer!"

Jarrod felt every twitch, every movement the knife made within his body. Susan dug around until she found something solid. Getting as much purchase as she could, she began pulling it to the surface.

"Jarrod, please stay with me!" She implored him tearfully as she finally worked the claw to the surface. Tossing the knife aside, she grabbed it and ripped it from his body, throwing it away as hard as she could.

"I can see your sister's the medically minded one." He joked weakly as he slumped weakly to the floor. "Don't become a surgeon."

"I'm glad to see this hasn't affected your sense of humour." She sniggered as she wiped away a few tears. "We really should be going."

Dom arrived in the cave, finding them on the floor together, Jarrod bleeding heavily from a horrendous wound in his chest.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked.

"Dom, give me your shirt, we have to stop the bleeding." She implored him. "We need to get Jarrod to a hospital."

Dom bound his chest as well as he could, before helping his brother to his feet. Jarrod hung limply by his side.

"The claw." He said weakly. "Get the claw."

"Jarrod, we need to get you out of here." She reminded him. "You need a hospital."

"We can't leave it here." He stated. "We can't take the risk they'll come back for it, or that someone will find it by accident. We need to take it with us."

Reluctantly, Susan pulled off her jacket and wrapped the claw up tightly in it, before returning to Jarrod's side. She and Dom began helping him from the cave.

"I thought we were on a break." He whispered weakly.

"Actually I was kind of rethinking that." Susan told him, an expression of relief crossing her face. "We'll talk more about it later."

"So does this make you my girl again?" He asked. Susan looked into his eyes and smiled.

"I always was." She responded. I just took a while to realise that."

Back at the temple, Theo unleashed his Jaguar spirit, taking Grace down after a ferocious battle. Seeing her collapse to the stone unconscious, he looked around to see how the others were faring. Casey and Sean were taking each other to the limit in one corner, while a little way from him, Gabby was dashed to the floor as Tangaroa kicked her hard in the face. Seeing the state of his robes and the injuries, Theo knew that Gabby had done well against him. He had underestimated the young student, and had paid a hefty price. He picked up one of his butterfly knives menacingly, approaching her fallen body. Gabby looked up at him, blood streaming down her face from injuries to her brow and her nose.

"You did well little girl." He taunted her as he raised his blade. "Some of those attacks actually hurt. But now it's time to end this. Say goodnight."

Theo blindsided him with a hard blow to the head, scattering him.

Gabby took the opportunity when he was off-balance to summon all of the strength in her animal spirit, casting forth the hummingbird. It streaked into the massive Maoris' face with incredible speed, almost causing him to turn a full back flip, before coming to rest, face-down on the concrete, unmoving. Theo helped her back to her feet with a big grin on his face.

"You did great Gabby!" He congratulated her as he helped her stand.

"I needed you to save me." She reminded him. "If you hadn't staggered him..."

"You did the most important thing. You kept him under control. Casey and I would never have been able to take them three-on-two. You showed guts to keep getting up."

As they spoke Casey cast Sean to the ground with such ferocity that the slab beneath him splintered and cracked. He floundered on the ground, attempting to get back up, but fell back to the ground. He was defeated.

"I guess you got the better of us." Sean sneered as he was pulled back to his feet roughly by Casey.

"You know what we want Sean!" Casey snarled, grabbing him by the lapels, glaring straight into his bloody face. "Where's Jarrod?"

"Jarrod?" He asked in a mocking laugh. "By now Jarrod will be gone. Dai Shi will be reborn."

"Dai Shi was destroyed!" Theo called out, helping Gabby to come over to him. "We were there, we saw it!"

"Not all of him." Sean replied abruptly. "One of his claws was left, and we've used that to bring him back in his original vessel. As much as we wanted this rematch, you aren't arrogant enough to believe that's what we meant when we said we wanted a chance to claim the glory for ourselves?"

"You're insane!" Casey snapped, shoving him to his knees. "You're bringing back Dai Shi just to get the bragging rights for destroying him?"

"He tried." Dom announced as he returned with RJ. Arriving shortly behind them were Chip, Xander and Daggeron. "Susan found him and stopped it from happening."

He threw the claw onto the ground for Sean to see. He screamed in frustration as he realised his plan had failed.

"We'll still get to take you down!" Sean snapped as Grace and Tangaroa began to come to. RJ and Dom brought them over beside their comrade. "What are you going to do, kill us? If you don't you know we'll only come back! And if you try to send us to prison, we'll take all of you with us."

"Not if you don't remember it." Xander chipped in as he pulled out his wand. "RJ figured you wouldn't accept defeat graciously, that's why he called us."

"What are you going to do to us?" Grace asked as she looked at the strangers suspiciously. "Call our mommies?"

"No, we're going to work a memory charm on the three of you." Chip explained. "When you wake up in hospital, you'll think you've been involved in a car accident, and have forgotten all about this grudge you're holding."

Daggeron led the chant as all three of the former Mystic Rangers modified the memories of the three Pai Zhuq students. Following their ritual, all three collapsed and slipped into a deep slumber.

"Are they going to be alright?" Theo asked him.

"They're just unconscious." Daggeron explained. "We'll have taken them to hospital and have everything straightened out before they wake up."

"And they won't remember anything?" Casey asked him.

"They shouldn't. Your sister doesn't remember that speeding ticket she was going to give Xander." Chip told them.

"You worked a spell on my sister to get out of a speeding ticket?" Casey asked them. Xander just shrugged.

"Well maybe we should continue this elsewhere." RJ suggested. "If nothing else we're going to have to come up with a cover for Gabby. If we send her back to her parents looking like that, there's going to be a lot of questions."

Later in the hospital, Susan came into the room, finding Jarrod with his shoulder heavily taped up, and his arm in a sling. He looked up at her as she came into the room.

"We keep ending up here." She commented. "Maybe we need to find some new hobbies."

"That would be an idea." He replied. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I never wanted Dai Shi to come back..."

"He didn't." Susan reminded him. "You fought him until I could get the claw out. RJ said he and the Masters are going to deal with the claw to make sure no one finds it."

"Susan, you said you were with me." Jarrod replied. "Is that really how you feel?"

"Casey talked some sense into me." She replied, sweeping some hair out of her face and taking a seat next to the bed. "He made me realise how I really felt."

"What about all that stuff we were arguing about?" He asked her. "Are you saying you're giving up your job for me?"

"No." She replied, looking into his eyes. "I gave up my job for me."

He let out a heavy sigh and slumped into the pillows.

"I never asked you to do that." He stated dejectedly. "I don't want you to feel like..."

"Jarrod, I wanted to resign." She interrupted him. "Casey made me realise that the job didn't make me happy. I've been using it to hide from how I felt about losing dad. It was never going to make me happy. You're the only thing that has. I didn't leave the job because I felt like I had to. I left because I wanted to."

She pulled in close to him, kissing him deeply, before parting, smiling warmly at him. "I love you Jarrod."

"I love you too." He replied. "So how did Commissioner Harris take it?"

"He was disappointed, but he'll get over it." She replied. "Mom was a little surprised, but she said she trusts my decision."

"So what are you going to do now?" He asked her. "Now that you're out of a job?"

"I was thinking of retail." She told him. "Xander said he'd take me on at the Rock Porium. Chip and Daggeron are going home soon; he's hoping to follow them in a month or so."

"Well as long as you're sure." Jarrod told her. "I wouldn't want you to..."

"I'm sure Jarrod." She interrupted her abruptly. "I want to make this work with you."

"I'm glad that you do." He replied, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't have believed he'd be that fortunate. "I love you."

Meanwhile at JKP, Gabby was in the bathroom, looking in horror at her extensive collection of cuts and bruises. He pressed her bruised cheek, wincing a little. Dom coughed to let her know he was there.

"You managed to avoid breaking your nose." He said reassuringly. "That's one thing at least."

"Dom, I look like I went 12 rounds with Lennox Lewis." She complained, checking the mirror. "My parents are going to freak!"

"It's just as well it's the weekend." He told her, putting a printed sheet down on the sink. Gabby looked at it, reading it in confusion.

"What's this?" She asked.

"The others all chipped in." He told her comfortingly. "We figured you deserved a treat, and we thought that a weekend away at a nice resort would also give the worst of your bruises a chance to heal."

"Dom, this must have cost a fortune!" She shrieked.

"Like I said, we all chipped in. We figured you deserved a treat." Dom replied. "By the time you get back, Lily will show you a few tips she learned with make-up and your parents should be none the wiser. You really came through for us. You deserve it."

Gabby sighed and slumped down onto the toilet seat. She looked at him a little sadly.

"Valentine's Day's this weekend." She said sadly. "I really wanted to do something with you this weekend."

"I really did too." Dom assured her, pulling another reservation out of his pocket. "I guess it's just as well I'm going too."

Gabby threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him repeatedly. Dom finally managed to restrain her, laughing a little at the reaction.

"I take it you like the idea then?" He asked her.

"I love it!" She screeched, looking over the printout again. "I love you!"

"I love you too." He replied, gesturing to the door, where she saw her bag already packed. "So, shall we go?"


	52. Valentine's Day

Dom drove his car slowly up a narrow, winding country lane as the sun was beginning to set. The last of the warm sun reflecting off the nearby corn fields gave the horizon a warm, golden glow.

He looked across to see Gabby's head resting limply against the window as she slept and smiled. Given how much she had been through as a result of her involvement in the battle with Tangaroa, it wasn't surprising she was exhausted. It was just one of the reasons he had suggested they take this weekend break together.

He looked back to the road to concentrate, and yet he couldn't stop smiling thinking about all she had done for them. She had stepped up to the plate without a second's thought for her own safety when they needed her. She had taken on a fight that she was unlikely to win, and that could have cost her life, and yet she hadn't complained once.

After the battle, as Flit was tending to her injuries, Dom had taken the others aside. They knew they owed her a great deal. In taking on the battle, she had earned a lot of debts from many of the group. RJ and Lily owed her for taking Lily's place and protecting the baby from harm, Dom owed her a debt for risking herself for Jarrod's wellbeing and Casey owed her a debt for taking the challenge and allowing Camille to remain with Holly. Being the only other member of the group eligible to fight, Camille could have taken on the challenge, but that would have meant risking Holly losing both her parents. This weekend break at the spa was not by any means repayment of those debts, but it didn't take much for him to convince them that it was a good start.

He felt terrible about how much she had been hurt, but that had just provided another excuse for him to take her on this break. Sending her home looking like she'd been beaten to within an inch of her life would only have raised awkward questions from her parents. Without explaining about Pai Zhuq, there weren't many good reasons she would end up in that state. Her parents would only have ended up blaming him. At best they would have thought he was being overly enthusiastic with her training, and at worst that he was beating her. Neither was a presumption that would end well.

She had avoided serious injuries, and so they just wanted to give her a couple of days for the worst of the swelling and bruising to subside. Of course getting a chance to spend some time alone with her was a bonus.

They pulled up outside a large, old-fashioned stone building set high on a cliff by the coast. He had read from the brochure that the building had been a reproduction of an ancient German palace, and had been furnished in that style. It was over five stories tall, and built out of a dark gray, weather-beaten stone that harboured small patched of moss here and there. The main entrance door was almost two stories high, and made out of a dark oak. A valet, wearing a deep, red coat came over to the car, pulling a luggage cart. Dom turned to Gabby and gently shook her awake.

Gabby groaned slightly and stirred awake, looking sleepily up at the Rhino Master.

"We're here." He told her, gesturing to the building. Gabby got out of the car with him as Dom popped the trunk, allowing the valet to unload his bags.

"Can I take the name?" He asked him.

"Dominic Hargan." He replied as Gabby came to his side. He noticed the valet casting a little gaze in her direction, and could swear he got a subtle hint of a judgemental sigh from him. He wasn't sure whether it was the age difference between them that he disapproved of, or if it was the fact that she had clearly been badly beaten recently. Thinking about it, it did have to look a little bad seeing a young girl arriving in that state. The valet loaded their bags onto the cart as one of his colleagues came out of the building to take the car keys from Dom and give him a ticket.

"I'll just take you to reception." The valet said, becoming a little more cheerful as Dom slipped him ten dollars tip. Clearly his indignation at the suspicion Dom was beating his much younger girlfriend was more than a little shallow in the face of financial rewards. "Are you here for the weekend?"

"We are, I wanted to show Gabby a good time." He responded, throwing an arm around her waist. Gabby returned the gesture as they made their way into the building.

If they thought the outside of the building was impressive, then they were blown away by the interior. The floor was a brilliant, gleaming white marble, with a wide, crimson carpet running up the centre of the hallway towards a huge, ornately carved staircase which split halfway up into two branches, leading towards the upper floor balconies. They followed the valet over to the reception desk. The receptionist adjusted her glasses as they approached. Dom had to try hard not to laugh. She was a little jittery, and had frizzy brown hair. In a lot of ways he reminded him of Fran back when he first met her.

"Mr and mrs..."

"Just Mr Hargan and guest." Dom corrected him. "We're not married."

The receptionist tapped some keys on her computer, pulling up their reservation details.

"Here you are Mr Hargan, you and your guest are on the fifth floor in conjoined rooms." She told him, handing him the room keys. "Your reservations are fully comprehensive. Dinner, bed, breakfast and access to all amenities are included. Would you like to make a reservation for dinner?"

"Are you hungry?" Dom asked her. Gabby shook her head gently.

"Could we have a table around 8?" He asked her. The receptionist typed the reservation in.

"Your table will be ready." She informed him. "Enjoy your stay."

Meanwhile at Ocean Bluff Hospital, Theo arrived in a side room, finding Fran sitting, waiting on him. Her left leg was encased in plaster up to her knee, and a pair of crutches rested by the bedside table. The doctor finished writing up her prescription as he arrived, chapping the door gently.

"I've prescribed a couple of mild painkillers. You shouldn't need them, but it's just to be on the safe side in case you have trouble sleeping." Dr. Wallace told her, gesturing Theo inside. "You know, I keep seeing you and your friends. Maybe I should arrange some kind of frequent customer discount."

"We really try not to visit so often." Theo chuckled in response, coming into the room and handing Fran a large bouquet of roses. "Not that we object to your company or anything."

"Dr. Wallace tells me it was a clean break." Fran informed him, sniffing the roses and smiling. "I should be out of the cast in about six weeks."

"Four if she's a fast healer." He replied, sweeping his hand through his curly, red hair and popping some gum into his mouth. "If I remember rightly she is."

"I am." She responded as Theo helped her up onto her crutches. "I've gotten a little experience healing."

"I take it you're trying to give up smoking." Theo commented to Dr. Wallace. "How's it going?"

"The nicotine gum helps, but not a lot." He sighed. "I had my 87th last one this morning."

"Anyway, I was hoping to get Fran home in time to prepare a special dinner for tonight." Theo said, trying to move things along. "Have you signed the discharge form?"

"Oh, right, of course I have." He responded, waving to the door. "Enjoy tonight."

"I'm sure I will." Fran replied, smiling broadly as they left. "I hope it'll be a while before I see you again."

Dr. Wallace watched them leave as he slipped the latest addition into Fran's already extensive file, and once again found himself becoming curious about the group. He wasn't lying when he said he had a habit of seeing them quite regularly. It seemed as if a month didn't go by without one or more of them coming into the hospital for treatment. Even the local skate park kids didn't visit that regularly.

"What do they do all day?" He asked himself as he spat out his gum, and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, making his way outside. "Whatever it is, they really ought to stop."

Just as he pulled out a cigarette, his pager went off. He put the packet away and ran to respond to it, cursing his luck. He couldn't believe he couldn't even get five minutes to curb his nicotine cravings.

RJ was just finishing up in the restaurant, and sending the agency staff he had been forced to hire for the day on break to get something to eat before evening service. He had always hated hiring agency staff, since they cost him almost double what a regular staff member would, and were under no false impression that their shift was a one-shot deal, and so were far from dedicated or hard working, but he didn't have a choice due to recent events. Jarrod, Lily and Fran were in no condition to work for him, Theo had to pick up Fran from the hospital, Susan was just starting her new job at the Rock Porium and Dom and Gabby were away at the hotel. His spirits lifted as he saw his father walking into the restaurant. He was pretty badly bruised, but seemed to be in good spirits. RJ came over, hugging him tightly.

"Dad, it's great to see you!" He yelled excitedly as he released him. Lily came into the room and saw him, running over to join them, also hugging him. "How are the others?"

"They're fine." Master Finn replied. "We all got sent home today."

"That's good to know." Lily chipped in, releasing her father-in-law.

"Swoop's getting a little antsy. The doctors told him he shouldn't practice for a while..."

"They may as well have asked him to stop breathing." RJ commented.

"Master Phant's a little stiff, but he's going to be fine." He continued, chuckling at the thought of Master Swoop trying to sit still. "He was so proud when he heard about what Gabby did. He can't wait till she gets back."

"Well she deserves this little break." RJ replied. "I just wish it hadn't cost so much. I really wanted tonight to be special."

"I know you can't help it." Lily told him quietly, wrapping an arm around him and looking into his eyes. "I don't care if we aren't going out. I have you for the rest of my life, and I know Valentines' day's a busy night for the restaurant. You can't close the restaurant."

"I wouldn't be sure of so that." Master Finn answered quietly. "I'll look after the kitchen tonight to let RJ get the night off. My son's not the only gifted chef in the family."

"Are you sure?" RJ asked him. "It is Valentine's Day; I'm expecting it to be pretty busy."

"As long as the agency staff you have on shift tonight pull their weight, I'll be fine." He replied. "You and Lily just have a good time. This is probably the last quiet Valentine's Day you'll have for quite some time."

"Thanks Dad, this really means a lot." RJ replied. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." The laughed as he took a seat. "Fishing season's starting soon, and I doubt I'll get the boat out of the shed myself in this state."

"Consider it done." RJ replied.

Back at the hotel, Dom and Gabby were shown into her room. Dom felt the joy rising in him as he watched her face light up, seeing her room.

They had really pulled out all the stops for her on this one. There was a large seating area, looking out onto huge French windows, leading onto a joint balcony. There was a large, soft red sofa sitting by a huge, faux fireplace, and a large wide-screen TV in the corner. Looking over to the side of the room, there was a massive, ornately carved four-poster bed covered in brilliant white linen.

"Would you like me to take you through the amenities in the room?" The valet asked him as Gabby rushed to the units, looking through all the drawers and cabinets in her excitement.

"It's alright." Dom replied, taking the bags off the cart. "We'll be fine."

"The adjoining door is over there." He told the Rhino Master, pointing to the edge of the room. "Enjoy your stay."

As he left, Gabby came running out to Dom from the bathroom, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him excitedly.

"Look at the size of this place!" She screeched. "Dom, this must have cost a fortune. You didn't have to do this!"

"We wanted to." He replied, picking her up. "I heard there's a hot tub in the bathroom."

"There is." She told him. "This is just amazing."

"Well you deserve it." He told her proudly. "We wanted you to have a great time."

"Dom, you're here, of course I'll have a great time." She replied, looking at her watch thoughtfully. "Dinner's at 8 isn't it?"

"It is." Dom replied, getting a little sly grin on his face. "What's on your mind?"

"That gives us an hour and a half." She responded, pulling off her jersey and pulling a swimming costume from her bag. "Race you to the hot tub!"

Dom smiled as he watched her run into the bathroom. She didn't show it often enough for his liking, but once she was able to let her guard down, she had an incredible spirit of fun and a childish enthusiasm that was completely infectious. He pulled off his shirt and fished a pair of trunks out of his bag, before rushing after her.

"Start up the jets!" He called out as he stumbled through, removing his jeans. "I'll be right there!"

Xander was just showing Susan the procedure for closing down the shop for the night when the bell on the door alerted her to someone arriving.

"I'm sorry; we're just closing for the night." She called out, continuing to concentrate on the books. Xander placed a hand on the top of her head and turned her head to face the door. He had to chuckle as he saw the expression on her face change, her smile splitting into a wide grin.

"I think he's here for you." He commented as Jarrod came into the room, his arm and shoulder still tightly bound. He scooped her up in his one remaining arm, ignoring the pain from the wound in his chest.

"I thought you were in the hospital!" She shrieked.

"Technically I should be, I signed myself out AMA." He responded warmly, kissing her. "I just thought I'd rather be with you tonight than having an evening alone with more hospital food."

"You two go ahead." Xander replied with a grin. "I'll go through this with you in more detail tomorrow Susan."

"Thanks Xander." She replied, turning back to Jarrod. "I really appreciate this."

"Just go before I change my mind!" He called out in his thick accent. "Have a good time."

"So what did you have in mind?" Susan asked him, wrapping an arm around him and leaving with him.

"We're too late to go out; all the decent restaurants are booked solid." He told her in a sigh. "Does a take-away and a bottle of wine sound good?"

"That sounds just perfect." She replied, brushing her hair out of her face. If she had any lingering doubts at all about her decision to give up her job, they all melted away at that very moment. She loved Jarrod more than anyone she had ever met. She had risked her life to save him, and she hadn't had a second thought about doing so. Casey had gone against his instincts when he spoke to her the other day, and had made her face some hard truths. Since handing in her resignation, she finally felt for the first time in years that she was making decisions for herself.

Back at the hotel, Gabby and Dom made their way down to the dining room for their dinner reservations. Dom had thought far enough ahead to have a cocktail dress packed in Gabby's bags. Despite her noticeable injuries, she looked amazing in the backless. Classic red dress, and her heels boosted her height just a little, almost making her as tall as him. Dom had opted instead to borrow a red silk shirt and a pair of dress pants from Casey. He didn't really have much in the way of formal wear, and Casey was the closest to the same size as him.

The head waiter came over to him, carrying a couple of menus. He was a short, older gentleman, somewhere around Master Finn's age. What little hair he did have was white, and he had a small, white moustache. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a brilliant white shirt.

"Can I take your name please?" He asked them in a deep, Scottish accent.

"Hargan." Dom told him, shaking his hand. The head waiter gave his hand a barely-noticed glance to his hand, noting the tip Dom had just slipped him.

"I have just the table for you, right over here." He continued, showing them over to a table by the wide, full-length windows, looking out over the cliffs and out to sea. At the bottom of the cliff-face, there was a small fishing town that dated back too much simpler times, and retained a lot of local character. The last of the boats were coming into the dock as the light began to fade. He helped Gabby into her seat, before handing each of them a menu. He signalled over another waiter. "Stuart here will be your waiter for the evening; if there's anything you'd like then feel free to ask."

He handed them both a menu before leaving them with their waiter. Dom opened the menu, looking through it.

"What would you recommend?" Gabby asked the waiter. He looked down to her and smiled.

"The soup of the day is bouillabaisse; the fish was sourced from the town this morning." He informed her. "It's excellent."

"That sounds excellent." She replied, handing him the menu. "I'll have that, followed by the poached salmon."

"You're probably the only person I know who'd follow fish soup with a fish course." Dom commented, handing the waiter his menu. "I'll have the bouillabaisse too, but I'll follow with the steak, medium rare."

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked. Dom and Gabby looked at each other for a second. Dom tried to gauge her mood before answering.

"Could we have some rose champagne to begin?" Dom asked. "Make it a bottle."

"I'll bring that right over." Stuart replied, taking their menus. "I'll be right back."

"This place is great." She commented as the waiter left. "That hot tub was amazing, I feel a million times better already."

"Well you have a full day of spa treatments to look forward to tomorrow." Dom reminded her. "I hope you enjoy this."

"Dom, I'm with you." She responded softly. "I'd have been good with a cheeseburger and a movie."

"Well just enjoy this while it lasts." Dom told her as their champagne arrived. He picked up a glass and held it to her for a toast. "To us."

"To us." Gabby replied, clinking his glass with hers. He really was everything she wanted and more in a boyfriend. He had gone to incredible lengths to ensure she had an amazing time with him over this weekend. She had never been made to feel special before, but here with him, she felt like the most important person in the world.


	53. A Homecoming

The next two months passed quickly, and mercifully uneventfully. Fran was incredibly grateful to get her leg out of her cast and get back to work. Theo was just grateful that they were once again back to two incomes. Despite enjoying working at the music store, he had to admit that it didn't pay well enough to keep both of them on anything but a basic lifestyle.

Chip and Daggeron had returned to Briarwood, leaving Xander to train Susan, Theo and Flit to manage the store without him. He intended to go home shortly, and needed to be sure that the store was left in good hands. He also had yet to pick who was going to get to run the store when he left. He had actually already made the decision, but he enjoyed making them jump through hoops for the position. Theo in particular was his usual, competitive self and had been throwing himself enthusiastically into every shift he could get to impress the former Green Ranger.

Lily came down into the restaurant, cradling her huge stomach. She slumped down into one of the booths, complaining yet again about her aching back. RJ came over to her, massaging her neck.

"How are you this morning?" He asked her as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation.

"I'm miserable." She grumbled, settling into the booth. "Don't think I've forgiven you for this."

"I don't remember you complaining at the time." He chuckled playfully as he moved the massage to her temples.

"RJ, you've seen how I am." She complained loudly. "I look like an elephant, I'm huge!"

"Lily, you're pregnant." He reminded her. "You knew this was going to happen, its natural."

"It's not like you have to put up with this!" She moaned as he sat next to her. "I don't know how Camille put up with this."

"Some people just have easier pregnancies than others." He reminded her as she looked at him. "Dad said that when mom had me she went through hell. According to him she was never out of the bathroom."

"If you're trying to cheer me up, you're doing a pretty crappy job." She told him, pulling into her husband. "I can't believe I have another two months of this to go through."

"I'm sure you'll survive." He responded, kissing her cheek. "You got through all those battles as a Ranger."

"Trust me, Dai Shi was a cake walk compared to this." She grumbled as he left.

RJ ignored her. He could sympathise with how miserable she was. She was constantly complaining about feeling ill, and how much her back hurt. As much as he was excited about the prospect of becoming a father, he hated seeing how upset she got. He knew a lot of it was down to hormones, but lately she started crying for seemingly no reason at all just about every five minutes. Of course he had a surprise he just knew she would love. By the end of the day, he knew she would be smiling again.

Gabby came out of her class as morning break began, making her way towards her locker. Despite her ever increasing work load, she was looking forward to her exams. She knew that it wouldn't be long until school was over.

As she approached her locker, she found a large group of kids assembled there, cheering and shouting. She had seen more than a few fights in the school, and so she knew that someone was involved in a fight. She felt a chill as she watched Mark, her friend from the hockey team, being body-checked into the lockers aggressively by four other members of the team. They pounded on him ferociously as he struggled against their greater numbers.

Gabby threw her bag aside and surged forward, ripping one of his attackers from him, taking him to the floor with practiced ease.

Mark smashed one of the attackers in the face with his fist, sending him to the ground, cradling his nose. A teacher ran out to break up the fight just as Gabby took another of his attackers out with a powerful kick to the ribs.

"What's going on here?" He demanded, gesturing Mark and Gabby to one side of the hall, the rest of the Hockey team to the other.

"Nothing Dr. Jenkins." One of the attackers sneered, straightening his shirt. "We were just messing around."

"Really, because it looked like the four of you just jumped Mark." Gabby spat in anger. "It's real brave of you to take a guy with three of your friends."

"Nothing happened." Mark shot out, attempting to leave. Dr. Jenkins grabbed the sleeve of his jersey, stopping him.

"I want to know what happened here Mr. Klinski." He said a little forcefully, glaring at him over the rim of his glasses. "No one leaves until I know what happened."

Gabby looked to Mark, placing a hand on his shoulder. She had no idea why the other members of the team would want to hurt him; he was one of their strongest players. All she knew when she came to his aid was that he needed help.

"We don't want this pervert on the team." One of them stated flatly. Gabby recognised him as Barry, the goalie. He had been firm friends with Mark since they had been freshmen. Now though, he looked at him with a disgust she couldn't understand.

"Mark, what's this about?" Gabby asked him.

"He's a fairy!" One of the others sneered at him. "We found those magazines in his bag."

Mark looked down at Gabby, mopping blood from his face with his wrist. Gabby knew that he was gay. She had known since she falsely accused him of stalking her. It wasn't something he advertised for precisely this reason. He had only told his parents a little before Christmas. Gabby placed herself between him and the others defensively.

"This guy's been sharing showers and changing rooms with us all these years!" Barry yelled, flailing his arms wildly. "He's been in my house! He's been in my bedroom..."

"So what?" Gabby snapped in response. "He's the same person he's always been!"

"He's a god damned fairy!" Barry snapped in disgust. "We don't want to share a changing room with this freak!"

"He's a better person than any of you gutless pieces of crap!" Gabby shrieked, taking a step forward. "He was the only one of you who helped me when Karl was sniffing around me!"

"He was probably jealous." One of them joked to a chorus of laughs. "He probably wanted Karl for himself."

At that point, the hockey coach arrived, finding the scene before him.

"What happened here?" He asked as he looked from Mark to the others. Barry stepped forward, looking to his coach.

"Mark's gay." He announced loudly. "We don't want him on the team..."

"Barry and his oh so brave friends attacked him." Gabby interrupted him, looking them up and down in disgust. "Awfully brave of them really, jumping him four-on-one."

"Either he's off the team, or we are." Barry announced as he and his friends left. Dr Jenkins looked to Gabby.

"Detention, both of you." He announced.

"But we didn't do anything wrong!" Gabby shrieked, getting into his face. "Those guys were beating the hell out of him! Do you think it's wrong that he defended himself?"

"Coach Andrews, they attacked me." Mark implored him, holding out a hand like he was reaching for a life line. "I just defended myself..."

"You're off the team." He interrupted him, looking at Mark like he was infected. "I have a team to manage. You're cut."

"He did nothing wrong!" Gabby snapped, directing her bile at the coach. "Those other guys jumped him..."

"Or maybe he attacked them." The coach suggested. "Have you thought about that?"

"This isn't fair!" Gabby roared, smashing a fist into her locker. "He gets attacked and he's punished? What the hell?"

"Both of you are on detention after school for the next week." Dr Jenkins informed them, before turning sharply on his heel and leaving. The coach just left without another word. Realising the drama had passed and that there was no more entertainment to be had, the other students left. Mark sat with his back to the lockers, slamming his fist into one of them as his tears began.

"I can't believe this!" He sobbed, wiping his face. "Barry's been my friend since my first day here. I can't believe he turned on me like that."

"Mark, he's homophobic." Gabby said as she knelt down with him, taking one of his hands. "He probably doesn't hate you..."

"I've known him for years." He reminded her. "I've never seen him like this. He really does hate me. It's like all we've been through together means nothing to him."

"Well he isn't worth worrying about." Gabby said with authority. "If his prejudice means more to him than your friendship, then he can't have been a good friend."

"Coach just kicked me off the team." He reminded him. "What am I going to do now?"

"You start at Blue Bay Harbour in a couple of months." She reminded him. "Who cares if you miss the last game of the season?"

"I do!" He replied. "I've worked so hard for this all year."

"Well it's their loss." Gabby stated flatly, sitting with him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "If they want to take on the Blue Bay Harbour Lions without their star defender, they deserve to lose."

"Thanks for sticking up for me." He said gently, tapping her leg. "No one else would have done that for me."

"You stood up for me when no one else would remember?" She said in response, taking his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "It's what friends do."

With that, she helped him up, and they made their way to their next class. She hated having to face the unjust punishment of her detention at the end of the day, but she couldn't have allowed them to hurt Mark any further. Looking at him, she knew that he had been hurt enough as it was.

Casey arrived at the airport, waiting by the arrivals gate. He had been sent there by RJ to prevent Lily becoming suspicious. If he had gone there to meet her father, then she'd have known something was going on.

He smiled, waving enthusiastically as he saw Michael and Megan appearing from the gate. Jack rushed over to him, throwing his arms around the Red Ranger enthusiastically as he knelt down to his level.

"He's missed you." Michael stated. "All he could talk about on the plane was how you promised to teach him to play baseball."

"Well I did make a promise." Casey replied, taking off his Red Sox cap and putting it on Jack. "I'll take you to the park for some lessons tomorrow."

"How's Lily?" Michael asked, hefting his bag higher onto his shoulder as Megan gently cradled Stephanie in her arms. "It won't be long now."

"She's looking forward to it all ending." Casey informed him. "Junior's giving her a hard time of it."

"It kind of runs in the family." He responded. "When Lisa was pregnant with Lily she went through hell."

"I think all things considered she'd prefer a lopsided grin or hook nose as an inherited family trait." Casey chuckled, picking Jack up. "She's really not having a lot of fun with her pregnancy recently."

"Well I'm looking forward to seeing her again." Michael responded, thinking about his daughter with a proud smile. "I still can't get over the fact I'm about to become a Grandfather."

"Trust me, Master Finn's pretty much doing cartwheels at that thought." Casey informed him. "I'll take you to their place."

"I'd love that." Michael replied, putting an arm around his wife as the Red Ranger led them to the parking lot. "I've been away too long already."

RJ was just finishing setting up the restaurant for evening service when Gabby arrived.

"Glad you could join us." He said a little sarcastically. "You're late."

"I was held up at school." She replied bitterly. "Dr. Jenkins gave me detention."

"What for?" RJ asked, dropping his hostility. Gabby was a good kid, he knew it wasn't like her to get into trouble.

"The team found out Mark's gay." She responded. "Four of them jumped him in the corridor, I helped him out."

"You got detention for that?" RJ asked a little incredulously.

"The coach and Dr. Jenkins sided with the others over Mark." She told him. "He's been kicked off the team."

"Sorry I gave you a hard time." RJ told her, coming to her side as she hung up her coat. "I had no idea. You did what was right, I'm proud of you."

"I know I did what was right." She sighed, tying back her hair. "It doesn't mean it doesn't suck that we have detention, or that Mark will miss the championship game."

"You leave that up to me." RJ said with a sly grin as a thought crossed his mind. "I'm sure he'll get to play in the Blue Bay Harbour game."

"Is Lily here?" Casey asked as he arrived.

"Lily, there's someone here to see you." RJ said with a wink to Casey. They had arranged the surprise seamlessly.

"I'm coming." She groaned as she made her way down the stairs, coming into the restaurant.

"Casey, how are you?" She gushed, coming over to him. "How are Camille and Holly?"

"Everyone's fine Lily." He told her. "Close your eyes."

"Excuse me?" She asked him, looking a little perplexed.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it." Casey assured her. Lily closed her eyes, at which point, Casey opened the door, allowing Michael to enter. He came over to her and smiled as he took her hands in his.

"You can open your eyes now sweetheart." He told her. Lily's eyes jerked open and her face split into a bright grin as she recognised his voice instantly.

"Dad!" She shrieked, leaping into his arms as he laughed, holding her warmly. "I wasn't expecting you!"

"My service finished up a couple of days ago." He told her as he placed her gently back down. "RJ and I thought you'd love this surprise."

"It's great to see you all!" She shrieked, hugging her step-mother. Megan handed Stephanie to her. Lily looked down to her half-sister, smiling. "It's great to see you again little lady."

"I'm hungry." Jack declared as he walked into the room. RJ just laughed.

"I'm sure I can rustle something up." He replied, going into the kitchen. "Sit wherever you like."

Lily ushered them over to a corner booth, sitting with them as Casey took their luggage up to the apartment.

"I had no idea you were coming!" She gushed, looking down at her clothes. "I really must look awful."

"You're as beautiful as always Lily." Michael told her in a reassuring tone. "It's great to see you again."

"So you're back for good?" She asked him, shifting a little in her seat. "It's really all over?"

"My tour of duty is over." He informed her. "I am now officially an ex-marine."

"Have you sorted out somewhere to stay?" Lily asked him. "Not that I don't love the thought of you living here and..."

"I understand honey." He chuckled at her reaction. "We bought a place at the edge of town. RJ said we could stay here until the couple that own it move out next week."

"It's just great to see you all!" She yelled as her tears began. "I'm sorry, my hormones are all over the place at the moment, I must be a real mess."

"It's OK, I can empathise." Megan told her, putting an arm around her daughter-in-law. "I've been through this twice now remember?"

"I just wish it didn't last this long." Lily grumbled. "I just wish it was all over."

"It'll be over sooner than you think." Megan assured her. "So do you know what it is yet?"

"RJ and I kind of wanted it to be a surprise." She responded. "We still don't know."

"I hope everyone's hungry!" RJ announced as he came over to their table, carrying a massive pizza. "There's more where this came from!"

Meanwhile, over at the Rock Porium, Xander called his employees together. Susan, Theo and Flit all gathered, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Guys, it's been fun, but it's time I was going home." He told them. "I'll be finishing here and moving back to Briarwood at the end of the week."

"Really?" Susan asked him. "Has something happened?"

"No, it's just the right time." He responded. "I've been here long enough."

"We'll all be sorry to see you go." Flit told him. "You were a great boss."

"That reminds me, I still have a decision to make." Xander commented, beginning to pace the room. "I have to decide which one of you is going to run this place when I've gone home."

"So who is it?" Theo asked him. "Who did you choose?"

"Susan." He replied. "You've been amazing since you started here!"

"Me?" She asked him a little curiously. She hadn't been competing for the job as eagerly as the others. "Are you sure?"

"I know you'll do well." He replied. "Good luck."

As he left the room, Susan turned to the others, unsure how to act. She knew that Theo had been hoping for the promotion, and she didn't want to seem like she was gloating.

"You deserve it." Theo told her, patting her shoulder. "You've worked hard since you started here."

"Thanks." She told him. "It's really important to me that you're both OK with this."

"You deserve it." Flit reiterated, smiling at her. "You've worked harder than both of us for this."

"Congratulations." Theo said as he held his arms open for a hug.

"Thanks guys." She replied as she accepted the hug. "I promise I won't rota you on every weekend."

As she shared the moment with Flit and Theo, Xander went upstairs to look around his small apartment. It really had been a moment of weakness that had led to him moving out to Ocean Bluff, all because of how he felt about Maddie.

Although he knew that the time they had spent apart had been an important part of the healing process for both of them, it still didn't feel right to be away from her. His time training and preparing the others for his departure had given him a clarity he hadn't felt in a long time. He knew that they would run the store well when he left, and that his time here hadn't been wasted.

All he could think of now was how good it would feel to go back home and resume the life he'd all but given up on. He might not be with the woman he loved, but as Daggeron had told him so many times, if he loved her, he would respect her decisions. Being her friend and being near her would be more than enough.

Mark sat alone in his bedroom, totally distraught over the events of the day. He had managed to keep his secret for so long that he couldn't believe this had all come to pass. All he could think of was the look of horror on Barry's face as he pulled the magazines from his bag.

It wasn't that long ago that he had gone through Barry's bag to find out if he was stalking Gabby, so it wasn't as if he had any reason to object. Barry had been looking for athletic tape, much as Mark had claimed back when he had been caught searching through his possessions. It was then that he found the magazines. Rather than try to lie to him, Mark had admitted everything, hoping that his years of friendship with Barry would make a difference. He was wrong.

He heard his cell phone ringing and grabbed it, pressing the answer button.

"Who is it?" He asked wearily, settling into his bed.

"I heard you had some trouble today." The voice on the other end stated. "A mutual friend said you might miss the championship game."

"Coach Brooks?" Mark asked.

"Call me Dustin." He replied. "RJ said you were bummed about missing the last game of the season."

"I am." He replied.

"Well I have a vacant spot on my roster." Dustin told him. "How do you fancy transferring to my team a little early?"

Mark looked down to his swollen knuckled and a satisfied smile crossed his lips. His former team-mates were going to learn the true meaning of the phrase "Payback's a bitch."


	54. The Blue Bay Harbour Game

Xander was just finishing packing his belongings into his case as his shift came to an end.

Susan came into the apartment as he closed the case, finding him taking one last look around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

"I can't believe you're going home." Susan commented as he gathered up his jacket. "It doesn't seem like that long since you arrived."

"Trust me, it seems like a long time to me." He responded. "I can't believe it won't be long until I'll be back in Briarwood. I never thought I'd be going back."

"It'll be good to see Maddie again huh?" She asked him. Xander couldn't help smiling just at the mention of her name. He had left town because he was sure that she would never love him the way he loved her. Now though, it didn't really matter. Just being near her again would be enough for him.

"I'm looking forward to it." He told her. "When Chip called, he said she'd been asking after me. He said she's doing a lot better now."

"You really care about her don't you?" Susan asked him.

"I really do." He replied. "You know, when I came here all I wanted was for her to be with me. I never realised it, but I was totally self-centred. I just wanted for her to feel the same way about me."

"And now?" Susan asked him.

"Now, all I want is for to stop hurting and to be happy." He replied. "Even if that does mean that I miss out."

"You've grown up a lot." Susan said with a smile. "You really have come a long way from the guy who tried to flirt his way out of a speeding ticket."

"Casey told you about that?" He asked her.

"He did." She replied. "Don't worry about it, I'm not that upset."

"Sorry about the memory charm." He said, chuckling slightly at the memory of the day he arrived. "Chip was just looking out for me. There won't be any long term effects."

"Well I'm not a cop anymore, so it's not like I'm going to write you that ticket now." She replied. "Anyway, Theo and Flit are covering for us this afternoon. Do you fancy catching the hockey game before you go?"

"It's the Blue Bay Harbour game isn't it?" He asked her. "The last time I called Tori, she told me that the coach is one of her former team mates."

"Well he said he spoke to Coach Brooks about getting Mark onto the team so he didn't miss the championship game." Susan told him. "Fancy giving him a little moral support?"

"I guess if I take in the game I'll miss the worst of the traffic." He replied, picking up his case. "Lead the way."

Over at the ice rink, the Ocean Bluff Panthers had arrived to begin warming up for the game ahead. Gabby and the rest of the school had been let out of their classes early to support their team, although on this occasion, she would not be supporting her home team.

She took a seat as close to the glass as she could, being joined shortly afterwards by Lily, RJ, Camille and Casey.

"Lily, RJ?" Gabby asked them. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be minding the restaurant!"

"Just about the entire town's at the game." RJ reminded her. "I figured we wouldn't take much business this lunchtime, so I guessed we could close up for lunch."

"Besides, it'll mean you're both nicely rested up for the evening service." Lily responded, taking her seat gently. "I have a feeling we're going to be really busy tonight."

RJ smiled as he saw a familiar looking face enter the rink. He was a little shorter than RJ, with tanned skin, and thick, curly dark hair. He waved and ran over to their seats as he saw him. RJ threw his arms around the young man, hugging him tightly.

"Dustin! It's great to see you again!" He rushed out as he released the young man. "You've been doing great this season. How is everyone back home?"

"Tori and Blake are doing great; they really love doing the whole domestic thing. Hunter's really found his stride at the Thunder Ninja Academy; he's getting along really well there, while Shane and Cam have finally figured out how to split duties at the academy without wanting to kill each other."

"Well it's about time." RJ chuckled. "It only took them what? About six years to figure that out? Anyway, the Lions have been doing really well."

"Yeah, I found my stride." Dustin sighed, thinking about the game ahead. "I was about ready to quit after the last Panthers game, it was pretty brutal. I was sure Coach Fuller had made a huge mistake making me the coach, but we really pulled it back, they're good kids."

"I'll say you pulled it back." Gabby commented from her seat. "15 – 1? That's almost as good as the Panther's record!"

"We earned our spot in the championship game." Dustin told her proudly. "We're looking forward to it."

"So are we!" One of the players on the ice called out as the Panthers noticed Dustin in the stands. They gathered over near the glass, crowding them. Dustin, RJ and Gabby came to the glass to confront them. "If I remember rightly the score was 15-4 in the last game. Are you ready to be humiliated again?"

"We hadn't found our stride the last time." Dustin replied. "This time things are going to be very different."

"I hope JKP's fully stocked for the victory party." Another of the players announced as the crowd started to arrive. "We're going to be real hungry after the game."

"You aren't welcome." RJ told them. "I heard what you did to Mark, and I don't tolerate anyone being treated like that. All of you are barred."

"You can't do that!" The coach snapped as he came across to see what the fuss was. "We always come to..."

"Not anymore." RJ interrupted him. "I don't tolerate homophobia. Mark's my friend, and no one treats my friends like that."

"I see you're siding with the losers too Gabby." Barry sneered at her, lifting up his mask. "I guess a little loyalty's out of the question."

"I am loyal." She responded. "I'm loyal to my friends."

"Speaking of which, I'm sure you all know my new defender." Dustin said with a grin, pointing over their heads to where the Lions were heading out onto the ice. Barry threw down his stick in disgust.

"Hi guys, are you looking forward to the game?" Mark asked them as he skidded to a halt before them. "I know I am."

"You can't play for them!" His former coach yelled. "You aren't eligible."

"Actually he is." Dustin informed him. "You see, if you check your e-mail you'll find that he actually quit your team yesterday afternoon. I offered him a spot on my roster which he accepted, and I sent my amended roster to the referee this morning."

The coach grabbed the referee as he came over to break up the scene.

"He is on my team!" He snarled. "He can't play for Blue Bay Harbour."

"Actually he can." The Referee informed him. "Coach Brooks sent me his amended roster. Mark Klinski officially became a member of the Lions this morning."

"This isn't over!" He snapped, shoving the referee away. He got into Mark's face. "You might get to play in this game, but it's a rough game. People get hurt you know."

"Trust me; there isn't one person on your roster I'm scared of." Mark replied matter-of-factly. "This is going to be fun."

By the time the third period began, the game was already highly competitive. Susan came to sit with her friends, bringing a round of sodas as the players got back onto the ice.

"I just got a call from Michelle." She told them as she took her seat. "She's got a few days off, so she's coming down to see how we all are."

"It'll be great to see her." Casey replied as Camille returned from feeding Holly. "Did you hear that sweetheart? Your auntie Michelle's coming to see you."

She gurgled and squirmed a little in her arms. Lily shifted a little uneasily in her seat, clutching her stomach.

"Are you alright?" RJ asked her, seeing the slightly pained look on her face.

"RJ, I'm sure I'm fine." She grumbled. "I probably shouldn't have had that hotdog."

"I think any meat product that costs less than a dollar should probably be avoided." Casey agreed. "I remember getting a footlong from here once, and I couldn't get off the loo for a week."

"Lily can't get out of the bathroom anyway." RJ chuckled, only to be silenced with an elbow to the stomach.

"Stop making fun of me!" She whined. "I can't help it if I'm ill."

"The game's starting back." Gabby told them. "It's pretty close; the Lions are only down by one."

Almost on cue, Mark sent one of the forwards flying with a hard body check. Three of his former team mates came barrelling towards him with evil intentions. They hit him hard, taking him to the ice.

"I hope you like it down there on the ice." One of them taunted him. Mark just laughed in response, pointing behind them. At the last second, he had slipped the puck to one of his new team mates. Realising they had left the goal all but unprotected, they could only watch as the forward flicked the puck into the net.

"I knew you couldn't resist a chance to tackle me." He said as he got back to his feet. "Thanks for the equaliser."

Gabby and her friends leapt out of their seats, cheering as they watched Blue Bay Harbour close the gap. Given that they were sitting in the home section, they got more than a few odd looks from the other members of the crowd, but right now they couldn't care less.

Meanwhile, Michael and Megan began setting up the restaurant for after the game. They knew that the others would be getting back from the game soon, and since Michael had already invested some of his money into the restaurant for the refurbishment, he wanted to help. He wasn't yet ready to retire, and since his commission with the Marines was over, he figured he needed a new challenge anyway.

Michelle came into the restaurant, finding him setting up the chairs.

"I'm sorry, the restaurant isn't open yet." He stated, seeing her come in. "We'll be open in about half an hour or so."

"It's alright; I was here to see my brother." She told him, setting down her bag. "Casey?"

"You're Casey's sister?" He asked her. "He shouldn't be too much longer. I'm Michael, Lily's dad."

"Michelle." She introduced herself, shaking his hand. "I know he was at the game. He always was a sports nut."

"They should be back soon." He repeated. "Would you like a soda or something?"

"That would be nice." She replied, taking a seat. "Casey said you had gotten home recently."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to being a Grandfather." He said with a broad smile as he came back with the drink. "I can't wait."

Back at the game, the final period was just coming to a close, and the score was tied at 12 points apiece. As the two minute warning sounded, the game became a lot more desperate and bad-tempered. Players were slamming into each other ferociously as they desperately scrambled for the puck. Mark had just taken down one of the forwards, seeing the way clear towards the net.

He looked around, seeing that all of the others were busy, he realised he had no option but to try for the goal himself.

He surged down the ice, barrelling towards Barry. The way was clear; everyone else was involved in what was only just short of a massed brawl, holding them off.

He stared down the teenager who had been until recently his best friend. Their eyes locked as he made his way down towards him.

Barry rushed from the goal line, charging straight towards him, and slammed his stick into Mark's head, splitting his helmet with the force of the blow. Mark fell to the ice hard as the referee called the foul. His team mates came to his side, and Dustin jumped over the rail onto the ice, rushing to his side.

"Take it easy, you took a pretty hard hit." Dustin warned him as he unclipped his helmet. He pulled it off, looking into Mark's eyes. They were a little glassy, but he seemed to be responding to his environment.

"I thought I was meant to be the dentist." He grunted, rubbing the side of his head. "It feels like he re-arranged my bridge work."

"Just try not to move too quickly." Dustin warned him. "They called the penalty; they're going to be a player down for overtime."

"The timekeeper's saying that the period ended with the foul." The referee informed them. "You get a penalty shot, one on one. Anyone on the ice can take the shot."

"Let me do it." The centre forward snapped. "I've got the best shooting average."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm Eric, but I'd like to do it." Mark told him. "I'll take the shot."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Dustin asked him, checking his pupils for signs of a concussion. "I don't want to give him another chance to crack that melon of yours open."

"I'll be fine." Mark assured him. "Hard heads run in the family."

"Mine too." Dustin replied. "Eric, lend him your helmet. Let him finish what he started."

Eric handed him his helmet as they helped Mark back onto his feet. Everyone cleared off the ice, leaving Mark to face off against Barry. The referee placed the puck on the centre spot.

Mark pushed off, beginning to run up to the goal mouth. Barry stood on his line, staring him down. As Mark made his way forward, he cleared his mind, thinking back over all the games he had watched Barry in. He had in incredibly quick glove. He had only let in a couple of dozen shots in the whole season. He was easily one of the best goalies in the league.

He also knew that Barry knew almost every move he made as well as he did. They had been on the team together right throughout high school. That was when he realised what he had to do.

He surged towards his stick side, crossing far to the left. Barry followed his every move, crossing over by him. He reached across, though at the last second, Mark swung around, throwing himself towards the ice, and using his stick to guide the puck far over into the opposite corner.

Barry fell inches from him, reaching his glove into empty space, and could only watch as the puck slid into the goal. Mark got back to his feet as the rest of his team rushed onto the ice to congratulate him.

"You're a great goalie Barry." He said to his one time friend, offering him a hand to help him off the ice.

Barry never responded, instead merely smacking his hand away and turning his back on him, making his way back towards his own team. Dustin came to Mark's side, seeing the dejected look on his face as he pulled off his helmet.

"Classy." He responded sarcastically. "Don't worry about it. If he's too small-minded to let this go, then he isn't worth it."

"I know that." He replied. "I'm just sad for him."

"Well maybe this will cheer you up." Dustin suggested as he shoved the trophy into his hands as the others crowded around him, cheering loudly. "You deserve this, have your moment."

Almost an hour later, the party had moved back to the restaurant. Any fears that RJ had about the fans boycotting the restaurant for their refusal to serve the Panthers had quickly melted away. The fans had quickly turned their backs on the team over Barry's shameful actions towards Mark. After his blatant foul at the end of the game, the word had quickly spread about the attack on him in the school.

Mark was in the corner, happily celebrating with the rest of the team, going over for seemingly the 1000th time how he had bested Barry with his penalty shot. Dustin came over to the table where Lily was sitting with Susan, Michelle, Casey, Camille and Susan.

"Your boys seem pretty pleased with themselves." Casey said as he arrived. "You did a great job with them."

"They did all the hard work." Dustin replied with a small grin. "I just polished off the rough edges. Mark was amazing."

"I just think it's a shame he's going to be leaving." Gabby commented as he brought them some garlic bread. "He told me he's leaving town."

"He didn't want to risk reprisals from the rest of the team, so I arranged for him to sit his exams in Blue Bay Harbour." Dustin assured her. "He'll be fine."

"I'm happy for him, he seems really happy." Gabby replied. "I'm going to miss him though."

"I'm sure he'll stay in contact." Dustin told her.

Lily got a slightly pained look on her face and held her stomach again. Michelle noticed this reaction and got a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright?" She asked her.

"I'm OK." She replied. "I made the mistake of eating from the concession stand."

"She was a little queasy earlier." Casey told his sister. "I can vouch for the fact the food at the stadium is seriously rank."

"I just need to go to the bathroom for a second." Lily told them, getting up. She made it a few steps before suddenly turning very pale and dropping to the floor unconscious. Michelle and RJ were over by her side almost instantly.

"Lily, can you hear me?" Michelle asked her, checking for any signs of life.

"Come on honey, speak to me!" RJ rushed out, trying to shake her awake. "Come on, please!"

"She's not responding, everyone get back!" Michelle called out. Susan and Casey moved the assembling crowd back a bit to give them room to work. Michelle continued to check over Lily. "RJ, call an ambulance."

"What's going on?" He asked her, his eyes already beginning to water, his voice cracking in panic. "Michelle, what's happening to my wife?"

"I don't know, but I'd be a lot more comfortable if we get her to the hospital." She told him. "All we can do is to make her as comfortable as possible."

"You know more than you're saying sis." Susan stated as RJ went to call the ambulance. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I think something might be happening with the baby." Michelle replied under her breath. "We'll know more when we get her to hospital."

"But she's not due for another two months yet!" Susan reminded her. "Everything's going to be alright isn't it?"

"We'll know more when we get her to hospital." She replied. "Until then just pray that I'm wrong."


	55. Baby Trouble

Lily had only just come to as the ambulance arrived, the paramedics quickly pushing through the crowd gathered around her. Michelle waved them over.

"She lost consciousness a few minutes ago, but she's come to." Michelle informed them as they transferred her onto a stretcher. "She's seven months pregnant."

"We'll get her to the hospital." One of the paramedics rushed out as they raised her from the ground, taking her to the ambulance. Lily groaned loudly and tried to get up.

"Don't try to move." Michelle said soothingly. "We're taking you to the hospital. We'll get you help I promise. RJ, there's room in the ambulance for you to ride along."

"Michelle, you go with her." RJ said quickly, coming to Lily's side. She couldn't say anything because of the oxygen mask, but her eyes said it all. He leant down over her, stroking her hair. "I'll follow on, I'll be with you every step of the way, I promise."

"RJ, maybe..."

"Michelle, we don't know what's going on." RJ interrupted her. "There's nothing I want more than to hold her hand, but you're a doctor. If anything happens, you'll be able to help her."

Michelle looked down on Lily. Seeing the look in her eyes, she could tell that she wanted RJ with her, but she knew that RJ had a point. He couldn't help her if there were any complications, and she had her own suspicions of what was going wrong. Unfortunately it was entirely possible that she would need assistance before she reached the hospital.

"I'll look after her, I promise." Michelle assured him, going with the paramedics into the back of the ambulance. She continued to try and keep Lily as calm and as comfortable as possible as the ambulance pulled away.

"I'll drive." Michael told his son-in-law, pulling on his jacket. "Come on."

"I'll call your dad." Casey told him. "Go, Lily needs you."

RJ turned back briefly at the door. He was in too much of a hurry to say thank you, but the others could see the gratitude in his expression. Michael and RJ threw themselves into the car, racing after the ambulance. RJ just sat, holding his head in his hands. He struggled to stay calm for her as his mind conjured up all sorts of horrible thoughts of what could be happening to her. He wished he could be there with her, but he knew that he had made the right decision sending her with Michelle. It just hurt that he couldn't be with her now.

At Ocean Bluff Hospital, Dr Wallace stepped outside for a cigarette after being on the go almost non-stop for the last nine hours. Coming towards the weekend, the hospital always got busy, but on this particular weekend, they had also been swamped by a pile-up on the freeway out of town.

He sighed as he saw the ambulance coming into the entrance, shoving away the packet. The rear doors to the ambulance opened up, and the paramedics quickly unloaded Lily, wheeling her inside.

"I remember you." He remarked as he saw Michelle. "Your sister was here a few months ago after that attack."

"Dr. Michelle Rhodes." She introduced herself, shaking his hand. "The patient collapsed just short of half an hour ago. She's complained of acute abdominal pains and her blood pressure's going through the roof."

"Her heart beat's erratic." He continued as he checked her with a stethoscope. "Her pulse is all over the place, we need to get a better idea of what we're up against."

RJ rushed into the hospital with them, taking Lily's hand. She smiled a little through her discomfort as he looked down on her.

"Your dad's just parking the car, he'll be here soon." He said reassuringly. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"We'll know better soon, please stand back Mr. James." Dr. Wallace told him as they arrived in an examination room. A nurse ran in carrying some equipment. "Take a blood sample and get her ready for an ultra-sound. If things don't improve soon, we'll need to move quickly."

Michelle pressed firmly on Lily's stomach a little, and her face went a little pale. This was pretty much the last thing she wanted. She looked up at Dr. Wallace. He could see by the look in her eyes what was going on.

"The baby's in the wrong position, that's what's causing her pain." Michelle said to him. "Don't bother with the blood sample, we don't have time."

"What's going on?" RJ asked her. "The baby's in the wrong position? What does that mean? Are they going to be alright?"

"Mr James, please wait outside." Dr. Wallace told him. "We're doing everything we can for them."

"What's happening to Lily?" Michael asked as he finally arrived, having found somewhere to leave the car.

Michelle pulled them both out into the hall, steeling herself to tell them what she knew.

"The baby's shifted into the wrong position, that's why she's in such pain." She told them sadly.

"Can you help her?" RJ asked. "Is there some way you can..."

"If this had happened earlier, it wouldn't have been a problem. We'd have been able to turn the baby back to the right position." She interrupted him. "But it's already too big, both Lily and the baby are in danger. We only have one option. We're going to have to deliver the baby."

"Deliver?" RJ asked a little incredulously. "It isn't time yet, it's too early..."

"RJ, we're going to need to take her for an emergency caesarean section." She informed him. "If we don't deliver the baby, they'll both die."

Michael put an arm around RJ, he looked like he was about to collapse. He couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them, not now, but the thought of losing them both would surely destroy him. He looked at her, his eyes sparkling.

"RJ, we need an answer soon." She said a little more forcefully. "I know this is hard but..."

"Do it." He whispered sadly. "Please, help them."

Michelle made her way back into the room as Dr. Wallace prepared her to be moved. The nurse came back in, having gone to call ahead to the operating room.

"There's an OR vacant, but the pile-up's stretching the surgical staff to the limit." The nurse informed him. "They've asked that you keep her as comfortable as you can..."

"I doubt we've got long, every second counts." Dr. Wallace interrupted her. He looked up to Michelle. "How's your surgical experience?"

"A little rustier than I'd like under the circumstances." She replied honestly, looking down at Lily as she began to succumb to the anaesthetic. "But I don't think we have much choice."

"If you believe in praying, now would be a good time." He remarked as they began to wheel her gurney towards the OR. "Nurse, tell them to prep the OR, we're going to need it."

Back at JKP, the restaurant was beginning to empty. Despite the earlier celebration, no one was really in much of a mood to celebrate now. The customers had all respectfully left without protest. Dustin had offered to stay to support his friend, but he had been assured that he would be informed if anything changed, and told that his first priority was to get his team home to their families. Xander had opted to hitch a ride with them, not really wanting to take the trip on the Greyhound alone while his friends were worried over Lily's welfare.

They had all assembled in the restaurant in their worry over their friend. Casey and Camille kept Holly quiet, unable to comprehend how RJ must be feeling. They'd had Holly with very little trouble, and they loved her with all of their hearts. They panicked any time they thought she was a little hot, or any time they thought they heard a cough. Knowing that something was seriously wrong would have destroyed them.

Susan meanwhile, comforted Jarrod as he sat with her. It was unbearably cruel that he had to go through this again. Of the group, only he and Camille knew the heartache of losing a child. She knew that as much as he wished them well, and that he along with the others was there to support them, she knew that this had to bring up all of those memories all over again.

Gabby settled into Dom's arms as they awaited news from the hospital. Lily had been one of her best friends ever since she and Master Phant had all but forced her to take part in that dance contest. She had done so much to help bring her out of her shell. If it wasn't for her, she would never have met Dominic. She'd never have thought she would deserve that kind of life. She'd probably still be spending all her time hiding from Jessie and her friends and counting the days until she could leave high school behind.

Now of course, she had the confidence to stand up for herself. Not just to Jessie and her friends, not just to the small-minded Neanderthals on the Ice Hockey team that had turned on Mark, but also to Tangaroa. She had taken him on in Lily's place, despite knowing that she could easily have lost her life in the process. Now it just seemed unfair that she couldn't take her place again. She'd give anything she had to be able to take Lily's place; unfortunately this was one fight she had to take on alone.

Theo and Fran came into the restaurant, laughing and talking though stopping as they noticed the somewhat subdued atmosphere in the restaurant. The others looked up at them realising that in the chaos, no one had contacted them about what had happened to Lily.

"What's going on?" Fran asked a little nervously. She could tell that something was very wrong. The restaurant was empty apart from her friends, despite being the day of the championship game. They looked up at her, realising how awkward she must feel.

"Lily was taken to the hospital." Susan informed her. "She collapsed."

"Oh my God! Is she alright?" Theo asked, taking a seat with them. Susan shook her head.

"We don't know." Susan replied. "Michelle went with her, RJ, her dad and Master Finn are all there."

"What was the last you heard?" Fran asked them.

"Master Finn called to say she had to get taken into surgery." Casey informed her. "They had to deliver the baby by c-section. We're still waiting on word of how it went."

Fran just turned and walked slowly into the bathroom as Theo got up, following her. He had some idea about how badly she felt. He came in, finding her staring at herself in the mirror.

"Fran, are you alright?" He asked her.

"Of course I'm not alright." She whispered gently. "I've just heard one of my friends has been rushed to hospital."

"She's in the best of care." He told her. "Fran, we're all worried about her."

"Of course I'm worried about her and the baby." She murmured. "That's not it, I just feel really guilty."

"Fran, you didn't know." He reminded her. "You have every right to be happy..."

"I can't believe Lily was going through all this and I was so self-absorbed." She muttered, wiping away some tears.

"Fran, I know how much you care about Lily; I know that you didn't mean anything by it." He told her soothingly, hugging her. He looked into her eyes. "It's terrible what happened to Lily. I'm upset too, she's been my best friend for years, but that doesn't mean we don't have a right to be happy about our news."

"I can't imagine what RJ's going through." She whispered to her husband. "It would kill him if anything happened to them now."

"We can't think like that, we have to stay positive." He told her, looking into her eyes warmly. "RJ's going to need all of us for support."

"But…"

"Fran, worrying about what could happen isn't going to do anyone any good." Theo interrupted her. He rested his had on her stomach gently. "It's not going to do the baby any good if you get this stressed, is it?"

"I guess not." She replied in a sigh. "I just can't help feeling guilty."

"Like I said, we have a right to be happy." He told her. "It doesn't mean we care about Lily any less."

Fran pulled into him tightly, still feeling dejected about the cruel irony in learning that she had finally been blessed with the child she had always wanted just hours before hearing about Lily's plight. Theo released her and kissed her gently.

"This might not be the best tie to tell them." He said with a smile. "But just think how much this is going to mean to them when Lily gets better. I think everyone will be due for some good news by the time this is over."

Back at the hospital, RJ sat nervously in the hall, while Master Finn comforted him. Michael paced the hall outside the OR, anxiously awaiting news on his daughter's condition. Michelle came out of the room, pulling off her mask. She held up her hands defensively as all three men approached her, eager for any information.

"They both survived the procedure." She told them, throwing her gloves and her mask into a nearby trash can. "But they're both weak, this has taken a lot out of them. There were some complications that we had to correct. Lily's lost a lot of blood, but she's stable."

"Complications? What complications? Is she going to be alright?" RJ asked her in a panic. "What about the baby?"

"The baby had gotten itself tangled in the umbilical chord and become distressed." Michelle explained as calmly as she could. "There was some internal bleeding, but we've managed to get them both stable. Dr. Wallace is having them taken to intensive care to recover. Because the baby had to be removed prematurely, it'll be kept in an incubation unit for a while for observation."

Dr. Wallace came out of the operating room, a little weary from the long and stressful operation, throwing his gloves into the trash can.

"You did well in there Dr. Rhodes." He complimented her, before turning back to RJ. "Both your wife and your child are stable for now."

"Can I see them?" RJ asked him. Dr. Wallace shook his head sadly.

"They need to rest right now, the surgery took a lot out of them but I'll keep you posted." He replied. "Right now the best thing you can do is get some rest. They'll need you to be strong while they recover. I'll sort out a room for you."

He turned to head down the hall to check RJ in. Master Finn and Michael looked at RJ. Finn held his hand in a comforting gesture.

"I'm only a phone call away." He reminded him. "I'll tell the others what's going on."

"Please, stay a little longer." RJ begged him weakly.

"We're both here for you." Michael told him warmly, kneeling by his side. "We'll both be here as much as you need us."

"Thank you." He replied sadly. He looked up to Michelle, realising she was still there, his eyes red and his lip quivering. "How bad is it really?"

"They'll do everything they can." She told him honestly. "We did the best we could in surgery. Only time will tell how they respond."

"Thank you for everything you've done." RJ told her gratefully. Michelle knelt down with him and took his hand, looking into his eyes.

"His heartbeat's really strong, he has a good chance." She told him. "And you all know how much of a fighter Lily is."

"He?" RJ asked, realising what she had said.

"Yes RJ, it's a boy." She told him, seeing him smile for the first time since the whole nightmare had begun. Just hearing that made it all the more real. It wasn't 'it' or 'the baby' anymore. It was his son, and by the sounds of it, he had as much will to live as his mother. "Congratulations."

She left to go and check on Dr. Wallace and compare notes. Master Finn and Michael turned back to RJ, finding him with a vacant look on his face. He had a half-smile, but looked to be on the verge of breaking down in tears again. He had no idea how to feel.

"I have a son." He whispered gently. "I have a son!"

"Everything's going to be fine son." Master Finn told him. "The James' are fighters."

"So are the Chilmans." Michael chipped in. "There's no way that Lily's going to miss seeing her little boy."

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Master Finn asked him. RJ's face fell as he asked this. He got up and started to walk away. "RJ?"

"Lily and I will come up with a name together." He said over his shoulder.

"RJ…"

"I'm not naming my son!" He reiterated a little forcefully, getting into Michael's face. "Lily and I will name him when she gets better."

With that, he stormed off in the direction of the bathrooms, leaving them looking at each other, somewhat concerned about his state of mind. Michelle came back, tapping Michael's shoulder.

"We'd like to give Lily a transfusion." She told him quietly. "We were wondering if you'd do it."

"I'm a match." He told her, rolling up his sleeve. "Where do we go?"


	56. The New Cub

The team looked up to the door as Michael and Master Finn came back into the restaurant. As much as they were worried about RJ, Lily and the baby, they knew there wasn't much else they could do at the hospital. Michael needed to get back to his own children, and Master Finn knew that RJ was in no mood for company.

Megan came to Michael's side, putting an arm around him. He held her warmly. Casey finally approached them to ask what everyone wanted to know, but all of them were afraid to ask.

"What happened?" He asked them quietly. The mood in the room was incredibly subdued by now. All of them had already had several thoughts of all the horrible things that could have happened since they'd watched her being carried out of the restaurant. Master Finn and Michael looked at each other, trying to imagine how to begin. It seemed like hours before Master Finn finally found the words.

"There were problems with the baby." He told them gently. "They said he got tangled in the umbilical cord and became distressed. That's what caused Lily so much pain. They had no choice but to perform a caesarean."

No one said anything at this point. They all knew that there was a risk to the baby being born early. Not to mention the risk to Lily going through surgery.

"How are they?" Fran finally managed to ask. Her voice was weak, broken and full of fear.

"They're in intensive care." Master Finn informed them. "They're keeping the baby in an incubator for the time being under observation. His heartbeat's strong, but they don't want to take any chances. Lily had internal bleeding and lost a lot of blood. She needed a transfusion and they want to keep an eye on her."

Michael took a seat, holding Stephanie close to him. Megan comforted him, realising the nightmare he was facing. His daughter and his grandchild were both in danger, and there was nothing he could do to help them. All he could do was sit idly by and wait to hear whether or not they survived.

"What did they have?" Jarrod asked. They all looked at him, a little surprised by the question. In some ways it seemed like such an obvious question to ask, but under the circumstances, it was a question they hadn't thought to ask.

"It's a boy." Michael told them. "They had a son."

They sat in silence for a while, exchanging glances between each other. They really had no idea what to think right now.

"What's his name?" Jarrod asked, again getting a slightly surprised look from the others. Master Finn shook his head.

"RJ hasn't named him yet." He replied. "He refuses to see him or name him until Lily recovers."

Hearing this, they all shifted a little uneasily. It just didn't seem right somehow. They could understand him wanting Lily to see their son for the first time with him, but until she recovered from the operation, she wouldn't be able to do so. What was wrong with him? Why wouldn't he want to see his son?

"It's getting late." Jarrod stated flatly, gathering his jacket. "Dom, we need to check on our students."

"It's probably time I was getting Stephanie to bed anyway." Megan responded with a sigh, gathering her daughter's things. "Come on Jack, daddy will read you a story before bed time."

"You know how to reach us." Theo said as he and Fran got up to leave. "Let us know if anything happens."

Fran just smiled and nodded. She wanted to stay. Given the circumstances, she was terrified for Lily and the baby, but she knew that there was nothing she could do here, and she also knew that in the circumstances it was best that she go home and rest. Theo would insist on it anyway, and he had a point. There was no point in her risking making her own situation any worse. She had her own child to worry about now.

"I'm going back tomorrow morning." Master Finn told them. "I'll let you know if anything has changed then."

"Would you like to stay the night?" Michael asked Susan. She thought about it for a second. She was only going to be going home to an empty apartment, and right now she needed company. "I'm sure RJ won't mind."

"Thanks that would be great." She replied. With that, they all left to attend to their respective responsibilities. Susan arrived upstairs with Lily's family, taking a seat on the couch. Megan took her daughter through to the bedroom to lay her down for the night.

"I'm sure you'll find something in the fridge." He told Susan, leading an exhausted Jack towards his room. "Help yourself if you're hungry."

He left to attend to his young son, leaving Susan alone in the apartment. Even this short time by herself was uncomfortable, and made her grateful for her decision to stay the night. She made her way over to the fridge, inspecting the contents. She wasn't really that hungry, but she was grateful that there were some beers there.

As she took one, she heard the door opening behind her. Turning around, she saw her sister arriving, white-faced from exhaustion.

"Is there another one in there sis?" Michelle asked her. "I could do with one."

Susan grabbed another beer and handed it to her twin sister, sitting down with her on the couch. She could see that she'd had a long day. Michelle took a long sip as Susan watched her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked her. Michelle looked up at her.

"It's Lily that's the patient." Michelle reminded her. "Don't worry about me."

"Michelle, of course I'm worried about you. Master Finn told us you needed to operate." She continued. "It's been years since you last did an operation, I'd be amazed if you weren't shaken by that."

"Dr. Wallace hasn't done much surgical work either." She sighed. "If we didn't operate we were going to lose both of them. We didn't have a choice..."

"Sis, I know you wouldn't have done it otherwise." Susan told her. "You must have been terrified, I'm proud of you."

"I was amazed I could even hold the scalpel, much less use the damn thing my hands were shaking so much." She admitted. "But once I made the first incision my training took over. It all came back to me. By the time I gave the baby to Dr. Wallace for the heel prick test, I just felt so relieved."

"So how were they afterwards?" Susan asked her.

"Lily was pretty weak; she lost a lot of blood." Michelle stated. "I got her a transfusion from her dad which stabilised her, but she was under pretty heavy sedation. She'll be out for another couple of hours. The baby worried us slightly, but we've put him into intensive care. I just feel sorry for Dr. Wallace."

"What about him?" Susan asked, a little curious about this remark.

"The entire surgical team was busy with that accident on the freeway, that's why Dr. Wallace and I did the procedure." She told her sister, taking another sip. "The board found out we did an unauthorised surgery without a proper surgical team and suspended him pending an investigation."

"But he saved their lives." Susan protested. "If you hadn't done that, they would have died; all he did was give them a chance!"

"It's not that simple." Michelle responded. "Neither of us is a registered surgeon here. If anything happens as a result of the surgery then the hospital's liable. They're more worried about being sued than the fact we gave them a chance."

"So he could lose his job for saving their lives?" Susan asked her. "I mean, God forbid, but if only one of them survives, that's better than what would have happened if he did nothing."

"You and I both know that." Michelle sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But that doesn't stop them from firing him if they decide he acted negligently."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Susan said reassuringly, pulling Michelle into herself, hugging her warmly. "He's a good doctor, just like you."

"I know." Michelle muttered. "But it's not like it'll be the first time a good doctor's been fired."

Back at the hospital, a nurse came into Lily's room, finding RJ slumped in a chair by the bed, his exhaustion having finally overtaken him. He had maintained a constant vigil by her bedside since he had left his father and Michael. He refused to leave her side for a minute, desperate to be there when she woke up from the anaesthetic. The nurse gently shook him awake.

"You should get some rest." The nurse told him, seeing his reddened eyes. "Your wife won't come to for a while yet."

"I'll be fine." He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"I promise I'll wake you if she comes to." She replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like to see your son before you go to your room?"

"No." He barked a little aggressively, shrugging her hand off.

"Mr. James..."

"I said NO!" He snapped, interrupting her. "I'll see my son when my wife wakes up and we'll choose a name together."

The nurse looked a little shaken by his response, but didn't press the matter. She instead opted to take him to the guest room down the corridor that had been prepared for him.

"I promise I'll tell you when your wife wakes up." She repeated. "We'll take care of your son."

RJ went to his bed, sitting on it, holding his head in his hands. As he allowed his anguish to overtake him, he heard a sarcastic slow clapping coming from the bathroom. Looking up, he saw Jarrod walking in.

"Smooth." He said a little sarcastically.

"You know visiting hours are over." RJ said sarcastically. "Most would call this breaking and entry."

"Security in the hospital's good." Jarrod assured him. "It's just, not good enough to keep out a lion."

"What do you want Jarrod?" RJ asked him, his patience wearing a little thin. Jarrod took a seat.

"I heard you had a boy." Jarrod said gently. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." RJ murmured, gesturing to the open window he was sure Jarrod had used to gain entry. "If that's everything..."

"I heard you haven't named him yet." Jarrod continued, ignoring RJ's rather obvious annoyance at his presence. "Why?"

"I'll choose a name when Lily wakes up." He replied sharply. "That's a job for both parents."

"I guess I can accept that." He said with a shrug. "I also heard you haven't seen him yet."

"You've heard a lot." RJ said rather pointedly. "Would you mind telling me how this became your business?"

"Why haven't you seen him?" Jarrod asked him. "Just tell me that and I'll go."

"I want to see him with Lily." RJ shot back. "Goodbye Jarrod."

"No, that isn't it." Jarrod told him. "Try again."

RJ got out of his bed, grabbing Jarrod roughly by the shirt and ramming him against a wall.

"I've got enough to worry about here Jarrod!" He spat in anger. "I can live without this..."

"RJ, I know you're scared." Jarrod interrupted him. "I know why you're scared, I understand believe me."

"My wife went through surgery to deliver her baby two months early!" He snapped. "Anyone would be..."

"You're scared you might lose him." Jarrod interrupted him again, brushing his hands off his shirt and stepping into the room away from the wall. "I can tell you from personal experience how painful that is."

"Jarrod, my son..."

"Your son is alive." Jarrod cut him off with a sigh, his own tears beginning, recalling his own experience. "I'm not going to sugar coat things and tell you everything will be alright, you know as well as I do things might not turn out for the best."

"I know that." RJ told him. "Is that what you're here to say? My son might die?"

"No, I'm here to remind you that your son's alive now." Jarrod assured him. "If you think that the pain's going to be any less, if you think you can convince yourself he doesn't exist if you don't see him...don't name him...that somehow he'll just become a thing instead of your son, then you're wrong. Nothing can dull that pain. I never even saw my baby..."

"I don't think I can." RJ said, wiping away some tears. "I want to see him, but I don't know if I'll be able to handle it if..."

"RJ, I didn't get a chance to see my child." Jarrod reminded him. "That chance was taken from me. God forbid, but how do you really think you're going to feel if he doesn't make it and you didn't take the time to see him when you had the chance?"

"I don't know." He whispered gently.

"I do." Jarrod replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You won't be able to forgive yourself and you know it. It'd destroy you."

"I don't know if I can." RJ said sadly.

"You can." Jarrod replied, powering up into his Black Lion armour and approaching the window. "He's your son."

With that, Jarrod leapt from the window, leaving RJ alone. He didn't want to admit it, but Jarrod had seen right through him. He was terrified at the thought of losing his son, and he had been so scared that he had neglected to see him. Steeling himself, he went out to the nurse's station, finding the nurse he had just yelled at standing there.

"Listen, I just wanted to apologise. I've been under a bit of strain and I lashed out. I should never have spoken to you that way." He told her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Trust me; I've heard worse in here." She told him. "Apology accepted."

"I was wondering if it's too late to see my son." RJ said hopefully. She looked around, and gestured for him to follow. She led him into an intensive care unit, and brought him inside. There, he saw a large, transparent plastic incubator, surrounded by machines, tracking the baby's vitals. He made his way over, peering into the box.

He was a little shorter than RJ's forearm, with slightly wrinkly, bright pink flesh. His tiny form lay still in the blankets as he rested. A seemingly impossible number of sensors and tubes were attached to his body, keeping him under surveillance.

RJ felt a smile crossing his face as he looked at the baby. Despite his fear, his heart lifted and his chest felt warmer as he beheld his son for the first time. The nurse coughed to attract his attention, gesturing to the sink.

"I'll get a robe and some gloves if you want to touch him." She said quietly. "We shouldn't remove him from the incubator until the doctors give him the all clear."

"I'd like that." RJ replied with a smile, making his way over to the sink and rolling up his sleeves, scrubbing down his hands and arms with soapy water. The nurse came back a short time later with the robe and gloves for him to wear.

Pulling on his robe and gloves, he came back to the incubator, reaching his hand into one of the hatches on the side. His son's flesh felt warm, and soft to the touch. The baby stirred at his touch, and his eyes started to open. The baby turned, and seemed to be looking straight at his father.

"His heartbeat's been really strong since he was born." The nurse told him. "This is just a precaution. Dr. Wallace is really optimistic."

RJ let out a small, weak laugh as his son grabbed one of his fingers. His tiny hands and fingers could barely get around his finger, but clutched it with a surprisingly strong grip for one that wasn't even a day old. Feeling the strength in his grip, RJ felt his heart swelling with pride and happiness. His son had given him something so precious in his first few moments of knowing him. He had given him hope. Somehow he just knew that everything would be alright. Now he wasn't waiting to hear if his son would be released, he was waiting to hear WHEN he could take him home. The baby pulled RJ's finger into his mouth, gumming it inquisitively.

"When they're so young they can't focus their eyes very far." The nurse explained. "His most efficient sensor organs are in his mouth. He'll shove everything in there for the first few months. That's how he'll see what things are."

"I'm sure he will." RJ said with a renewed excitement. "I can't believe how strong he is already."

"That little one's a fighter alright." She said confidently. She looked down as she received a page and smiled. "You should probably let him rest now."

RJ didn't want to leave him now. His as-yet unnamed son had already won his heart. He could have sat there and stared at him all night, but he was sure the nurse knew what she was doing. He consoled himself with the thought that if his son got the rest he needed, then the doctors were more likely to be satisfied with his condition and release him to go home with them.

"I'll see you soon son." RJ said happily, withdrawing his hand with a little regret.

"The page was from Lily's room." The nurse told him. "Would you like to talk to your wife?"

"I really would." RJ said in response, running out of the room, stopping at the door. He turned back, ran over to her side and grabbed her, kissing her cheek excitedly. "Thanks nurse."

With that, he turned and ran as quickly as he could towards Lily's room. The nurse giggled at the response, turning back to the baby.

"That's the part of the job I always love." She told the little boy. "You're lucky to have a daddy like him. You just rest up. I'd love to see them get to take you home."

RJ arrived at Lily's room just as the on-call doctor was finishing checking on her condition, satisfying himself that she was alright.

"Everything's in order." The doctor told her. "Dr. Wallace and Dr. Rhodes did a good job, you should heal up nicely."

He left the room, leaving Lily and RJ alone. She saw him, her eyes betraying her fear.

"Where is he?" She asked him. RJ sat on the edge of her bed, smiling.

"The doctor told you?" He asked her. Lily shook her head.

"I already knew." She told him. RJ wanted to ask her about her statement, but he decided instead to let it go. He gently touched her cheek, wiping away an errant tear.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"I feel kind of like I lost 8 pounds in a couple of minutes." She said with a weak chuckle, wincing as she pulled a little at her incision.

"6 lbs 7 ounces actually." He corrected her. "The two of you really scared me."

"The two of us?" She asked, smiling a little. "You mean...?"

"He made it." RJ told her. "He's really something. He's a fighter just like his mom. He's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

"Where is he?" She asked, clearly panicking slightly. "Where is he?"

"They're keeping him in an incubator for a while as a precaution." He told her. "He's really strong, they're confident he'll be out of there soon."

"RJ, have you...named him yet?" She asked him.

"I wanted us to do that together." He replied. "Did you have something in mind?"

"When I was out, I saw something." She told him. "I don't know if it was a dream or a vision or what, but something happened. I talked to Mom and Master Guin."

"Our moms spoke to you?" He asked her. Lily nodded.

"They told me that we were going to make it. They told me to look after our son." Lily continued. "They told me I was going to be a good mom. They told me not to blame myself for what happened and assured me that everything would be alright."

"I'm glad you listened to them." RJ responded.

"Your mom gave me a name, one that I liked." Lily told him. "She suggested we call him David."

"That's dad's real name." RJ said with a smile. "She always was fond of it. She called him that a few times, even after he started using his Master's name. It drove him nuts."

"She said it means 'beloved'." Lily told him. "Given what we've been through to have him, I think it kind of fits."

"Well I don't want your dad to feel left out." RJ commented. "How about we make Michael his middle name?"

"David Michael James." Lily said aloud, trying it out. "I love it."

"I'll tell the nurses that we've decided on a name soon." RJ said, stroking a hand through her hair and pulling into her, kissing her deeply. "I love you."

"I love you too." She replied. "I can't wait to meet him."

"I'm sure you'll love him." RJ said with a bright grin. "I'm sure he'll love you too."

Lily shifted a little on the bed into a more comfortable position, before hanging her feet over the edge of the bed. RJ put a hand on her shoulder, but a quick glance from Lily was all that was needed to let him know that it was a futile gesture. She wanted to see her son, and the only useful thing he could do was help her. He looked around the room for a robe, quickly placing it around Lily's shoulders and helping her into the sleeves. He heard a familiar little cough from the door, and turned to see the nurse there with an empty wheelchair.

"I just wanted to tell you I'll be on break in the canteen if you need me." She said, leaving the wheelchair by the door. "I'll just leave this here."

He checked the hall quickly for the on-call doctor, before pulling the chair inside. He helped Lily carefully into the chair, helping her to ensure she didn't hurt herself too much. He knew that so soon after surgery this was not the best idea, but he already knew how he felt about his son, and so he knew how desperate Lily was to meet him.

He pushed the chair out of the room and down the hall, retracing his steps to the room his son was being kept in. He pushed her inside, bringing her as closely as he could to the incubator.

Lily looked deeply into the clear Perspex box, seeing the shrivelled, pink form lying motionless as he slept. She couldn't stop her tears rolling as she saw his little chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. She reached out, touching the side of the box with her fingertips.

"That's our son." She breathed softly. "He's beautiful!"

"He really is." RJ agreed. "He's amazing."

"What's going on here?" The on-duty doctor asked as he came into the room. "No-one's allowed in here but medical personnel after..."

His words tailed off as both RJ and Lily looked at him with a withering gaze. RJ in particular looked like he was giving a polite, wordless warning to him that he was more than willing to kick his ass if he tried to remove them from the room. He just groaned and stroked the bridge of his nose.

"Just try not to tire either of them out." He said sympathetically. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I suggest you don't open the incubator."

With that, he left the room, leaving them to it. Lily reached out again, gently stroking the incubator with her fingers.

"Goodnight David." She whispered to him, softly kissing the Perspex. "I'll see you again soon."

"Goodnight son." RJ said, repeating the sentiment, before taking her back to her room to rest. They had been given a wonderful gift, and they couldn't wait until they got to take him home for the first time.


	57. The Cub Comes Home

It was only a couple of days later that Michael was running around the apartment like a maniac, cleaning everything up. Megan and Camille tended to the kids as Casey and Michelle helped him.

"You know the apartment isn't likely to stay this tidy for long once the baby gets here." Megan reminded him sagely as she watched Stephanie drawing.

"Megan, I'm meeting my Grandson for the first time." He told her as though that was explanation enough. In many ways it was a pretty good explanation. Given the way things had gone, Lily and the baby had been held in the hospital a lot longer than normal. The baby in particular was under very strict observation. Since he was not allowed out of the incubator, only the parents were allowed to visit, meaning that this was the first time any of them would get a chance to see him. He only knew that Lily had given birth to a boy because he and Master Finn had all but forced the information out of her. "I just wanted the place to be ready for them."

"Michael, calm down." Megan told him. "It'll be a while yet before they're released."

"Are they here yet?" Fran asked as she and Theo arrived. She ran over to the kids, enthusiastically joining in playing with them. Theo had to try hard not to light up as he saw the scene. They still hadn't told the others their own news yet since everyone was still over Lily and the baby. All they'd heard from Michelle was that the baby was a boy, but since she didn't work at Ocean Bluff hospital, she hadn't been back since the emergency operation to bring him into the world. He longed to tell the others about their news, but today was all about Lily and RJ's son.

"Not yet." Michelle sighed, looking out some fresh blankets for the cot Master Finn had given them for Christmas. She was as keen as the others to have Lily and RJ home safely with the baby. Unfortunately she also had another matter to worry about. She and Dr Wallace had been forced to perform the operation without the aid of a proper surgical team, and as such the hospital's board of directors, fearing legal repercussions, had suspended him.

She hadn't told the others, but she had been going to see him on occasion to keep his spirits up while he awaited his disciplinary review. It wasn't too hard to convince them that she wanted to stick around for a while, and she had already contacted the hospital back in San Francisco to inform them that she was taking personal leave. From her talks with Dr. Wallace, she already knew that he had clashed with the hospital's legal counsel before, and that it was likely they were just looking for a reason to get rid of him. Right now, of course, she didn't plan to burden the others with this. Everyone was still riding a high after hearing that Lily was coming home with her son.

Master Finn arrived at that point, carrying an impractically large teddy bear under his arm. He was smiling brightly as he sat it on RJ's chair.

"You do know the baby weigh less than seven pounds right?" Megan chuckled, seeing the huge bear on the recliner. "That things looks like it's more likely to be able to hold the baby than he'll hold it."

"I guess the grandpa in me got a little carried away." Master Finn answered, kissing Megan's cheek as he greeted the other kids playing happily on the floor. "I have a smaller one for bedtime; I guess that one can wait until he's a little older."

"Have you heard anything more about him yet?" Michael asked him hopefully.

"RJ said it was only fair we both meet him together." Master Finn replied. "He won't even tell me his name."

"I guess he's had other stuff to worry about." Michael replied with a small sigh. "Well it shouldn't be much longer."

"I hope not." Master Finn responded as he watched Fran cooing enthusiastically over all the young children surrounding her. She giggled with a kind of childish glee. He knew how much she loved kids and how happy she became around them. He couldn't wait until his daughter came home to join the celebration.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Lily and RJ came into David's room, finding a doctor there, tracking his vitals. He saw Lily being led into the room and smiled as he saw her.

"I take it you're here to pick up your son." He said, putting aside his clipboard. "I've just given him a full check-up, and I'm happy he's healthy enough to be released."

Lily couldn't speak as she approached the Perspex prison that had separated her from her son since his enforced birth. Just like RJ, she had been forced to make do with nothing more than the occasional touch with sterile gloves. Now though, she was getting to hold him for the first time. Her hands shook and her lip quivered as she approached the incubator.

The doctor opened the lid of the container as she approached. Lily couldn't stop a couple of tears forming as she reached down into the incubator, and lifted him out, cradling him gently in the way her step-mother had taught her to do when she took care of Stephanie. He squirmed into a more comfortable position, settling into the crook of her elbow. RJ leaned across, laughing nervously as he touched his son's face out with the confines of the incubator for the first time.

"He's a little small because he arrived so early, so we'd like to keep an eye on him." The doctor told them, writing out an appointment card. "We'd like to check up on him a couple of times to make sure everything's progressing as it should, but with regular feeding and rest, he should quickly get to a healthier weight."

"He's perfect." Lily declared proudly as she kissed her son for the first time. A contented little sound came from him, indicating that he liked the feel of her touch. Given his isolation over the first couple of days, she had been worried how he'd react to her, though now she realised that her worries were unfounded. RJ gently stroked his forehead with his fingers.

"Your taxi is waiting." The nurse informed them as they arrived. She looked fondly at the tiny boy she had been caring for in Lily's stead. "Take care little guy."

With that, they left the room, making their way to the drop-off zone. RJ helped Lily into the back seat as she sank into the seat gently. Her stomach had healed considerably, though it was still a little painful, causing her to move very gingerly. He followed her in after ensuing she was comfortably in her seat and fastened his seat belt.

"New kid?" The driver asked cheerfully. Lily nodded proudly.

"Jungle Karma Pizza." RJ told him. The driver turned to get a better look at them.

"I think he's a little young for pizza." He chuckled. "What's his name?"

"David." Lily answered. He smiled at the young couple.

"I've got three myself, two boys and a girl." He told them as he pulled away from the curb, turning onto the freeway. "They're a lot bigger though. My oldest boy starts college in the fall. I love kids, I'd have had a whole bunch if I could, but after my daughter was born, my wife said three was enough."

"Well I'm just glad to be taking him home." RJ told him. "It's been a pretty scary couple of days."

"If you think that's scary, wait until he's a teenager." The cab driver chuckled in response.

Meanwhile, over at the Rock Porium, Susan was tending to her book keeping, while Flit was impatiently waiting for a delivery from a nearby take away. She let out an exasperated gasp and slammed down the book she was checking.

"God, I hate the end of the month!" She grumbled out loud. "I hate accounting. How did Xander stay sane?"

"I think you've already answered your own question." Flit chuckled, glancing out the window again. "When was Xander ever sane?"

"At least he didn't run a mile from bug zappers." She answered, trying to bring herself to concentrate on the figures.

"He was never a fly." Flit reminded her. "It looks like this is us."

He ran out of the shop, practically tackling the delivery guy off his bike in his hurry. Susan just shook her had and turned back to the books. Jarrod came in quietly, approaching the counter as quietly as he could.

"Flit, I only had breakfast a couple of hours ago." She reminded him. "Just put mine in the back room."

"I guess it's pointless to ask if you can take a break." Jarrod said, his voice causing her to jump in fright.

"Dammit Jarrod, you know I hate it when you do that!" She snapped, launching a pen into his chest. She quickly saw the funny side though, and smiled at him. "How are things at the temple?"

"They're pretty good." He told her, picking up one of her stock order sheets, which she snatched off him, putting it back into order with the others. "How's the apartment?"

"It's a little smaller than my last place." She admitted. "Now that I replaced all that crap the last owner left there. At last I don't have to pay rent on it, the apartment's part of Toby's lease."

"I'm glad you're settling in." He replied as he looked around. "Is it just you and Flit this afternoon?"

"Yeah, Theo and Fran insisted on seeing the baby the minute they get home." Susan informed him. "You know how Fran is around kids. I think she almost took it as bad as Lily and RJ when they had to go to hospital."

"I was just wondering if you would like to go for a little lunch." He asked her, leaning across the counter. "I guess you're going to see the baby after your shift, so I hoped you could spare a little time now."

"Flit!" She called out as he came in, carrying the take away order in his arms. "I'm going for some lunch with Jarrod. I'll be back in an hour."

"What about your order?" He asked her.

"You can have it." She told him as she left. "I'll be back in an hour!"

Flit watched her go, before shrugging and setting the order down and unwrapping one of the bundles.

"TWO foot long meatball subs?" He said with a childish glee. "Take all day for all I care."

Casey looked out of the window, seeing the cab arriving at the restaurant and smiled.

"They're here." He told them excitedly, making his way back to Camille, taking Holly from her. "They're on their way up."

The assembled crowd waited anxiously as the door opened and RJ came in first, carrying Lily's bag. She came in shortly afterwards, carrying a heavily wrapped bundle in her arms. Michael approached her slowly, awaiting her nod of approval before pulling back the blanket enough to see the baby's face.

"You did really well sweetheart." Her father told her warmly, wrapping an arm around her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore." She admitted. "It's not how I pictured him being born."

"Try a three hour labour." Camille joked, coming to inspect the little guy. "You pretty much slept through it."

"Trust me, all things considered; a c-section is not what I'd prefer." She replied. She saw Michelle in the corner and smiled at her, flicking her head to gesture her over. Michelle came over to join the huddle around the new arrival. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did."

"It's alright really." Michelle assured her, looking into the baby's face and smiling at him. "Have you come up with a name yet?"

Everyone looked to them at this point. It was one of the things they all wanted to know. RJ put his arm around Lily and his son, beaming broadly.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet David Michael James." RJ announced, presenting his son to them. They could see from their expressions that both Grandfathers were pleased.

"It's a real honour son." Master Finn told him. "Your mother always loved that name."

"It was her that suggested it." Lily informed him. "It's a long story."

Holly let out a little cry in Casey's arms, causing him to laugh slightly.

"It's OK little lady, we still love you." He assured her. "We're just saying hello to the little guy."

"Oh he's so adorable!" Fran gushed emotionally, bouncing a little on the spot as her excitement got the better of her.

"The doctors want us to get him checked a couple of times because he' premature, but they're confident he'll be fine." Lily told her. "Calm down Fran, I know you're excited."

"You have no idea." Theo replied, looking at his wife. Her giddy smile and her bright eyes were pleading with him to give them her news. "OK Fran."

"Lily, we didn't want to say anything, because…well…" She began, stammering, trying to find the words. Lily smiled, having already figured out what she was bound to say, but stayed silent to let Fran have her moment. "We were worried...and everyone else was worried…and then you told us he was in the incubator…"

"Breathe Fran." Everyone chorused as her face started to go a little red.

"Take a deep breath and tell us." Casey said calmly. Fran composed herself, bringing her breathing back to a normal rate.

"Well Theo and I found out that…you aren't the only ones that are lucky." She finally managed to say. "I'm pregnant!"

"Fran, that's amazing!" Lily screeched as she handed David to RJ and hugged her tightly, tears beginning to run down both their faces. RJ shook Theo's hand.

"Trust me, when the hormones start, this'll seem tame." He told the Blue Ranger sagely. "Congratulations Theo."

"Yeah, good for you man." Casey chipped in, also shaking his hand. "I couldn't be happier for you."

"Well I almost hit the ceiling when I heard." Theo told them happily as the others all gathered around Fran and Lily, sharing in the excitement of their respective news. "She's gone through so much; I know how much this means to her."

"Well she seems excited enough for both of you." Casey chuckled. "Is she like that all the time?"

"I have a sure-fire way to calm her down." Theo laughed in return. "I just remind her I'm a twin."

"Well you better hope it skips a generation mister!" Fran called out as she overheard him. "You're not putting me through that twice in one day!"

"I uh…don't really think you get a choice in that beautiful." He replied, a little nervous at the thought of what she might do to him if she actually did end up having a multiple pregnancy. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised she was too busy talking to Lily and Camille about the tribulations of pregnancy as he sat down with the others in the sitting area.

"It's great seeing the little guy, but I'm so glad I don't have to go through that again." Master Finn said as he pulled out a bottle of wine and some glasses. They all reached forward to accept one as he spoke.

"I do have an infant daughter remember." Michael chuckled as Finn filled his glass. "I will admit, by comparison? The Marine Corp was a lot less tiring."

"Please, even battling Dai Shi was less exhausting than raising kids." Master Finn chuckled. "Still, it is kind of interesting to think that Stephanie's David's aunt. She's only two years older than him."

"Almost three." Michael told him, looking over to where his daughter was being introduced to the newest member of her family. "Still, I guess you're right. I'm glad that this time I'll be able to have someone else change all the diapers."

"What happened to being supportive grandparents?" RJ asked as he took a sip.

"Supportive yes, gullible no." Master Finn assured him. "The grandfather's there to spoil the kids with toys and play with them."

"As for the nappies? That joy's all yours." Michael chipped in.

"I guess it's just a well we got plenty of practice with Stephanie and Holly." RJ sighed.

"Speaking of which, I think he's ready for his daddy." Lily said, handing him over to RJ. He looked up at her, but she put a hand over her stomach. "I would, but…"

"It's OK, I'll do it." RJ said as he took him through to the bedroom they had set aside for the nursery. His face said everything that needed to be said. "What the hell have you been eating? Surely this smell can't be natural!" Lily took a seat with the others, giggling as he left.

"Is it really that bad?" Theo asked her with a little look of concern on his face. She shook her head.

"Of course that doesn't mean I can't milk it for a few days." She told him quietly. "Anyway, it won't be that long until you join the club."

"I know, I can't wait." He told her. "Fran's already dragged me to half the baby stores in the city."

"Well enjoy it." Master Finn told him with authority. "As hard as it was, I wouldn't change a thing for the world."

"I think this warrants a toast." Casey stated, raising his glass. "To family. Those who have arrived, and for those who are coming in the future."

"To family." They chorused as they all raised their glasses and drinking. Lily looked around the room, and settled into the cushions, taking in their warmth and their comfort as she looked to the door of the nursery where RJ was dealing with her son and smiled. She had always liked children, but she would never have believed how different it was with her own son. Despite everything she had been through to bring him into the world, she would happily do it all over again, just to see his tiny, pink face. That was the true meaning of family.

That was a mother's love.


	58. The Power of Tea

Jarrod woke up in the temple the next day, and pulled himself from his bed as he way to the lake to wash. It had been an incredibly trying couple of days for everyone. Lily and RJ especially, but the situation with little David had made everyone think long and hard about how fragile life was, and how quickly things could take a turn for the worse.

He found Dominic sitting by the banks of the lake. He had gotten dressed after coming out of the water, but he hadn't returned to the temple. He was just sitting, watching the tranquil scene by the lake. It really was beautiful here, it was one of the reasons that Jarrod loved this place. No matter how bad he had ever felt in his childhood, how lonely, coming here always made everything melt away.

It was like this was the true cradle of life. Birds fluttered to and fro, gathering for their young. Just at the edge of the opposite side, a couple of deer could be seen cautiously making their way out to the edge to drink. He took a seat beside his older brother.

"It's been a wild few days huh?" He greeted him.

"It really has been." Dominic agreed. "RJ couldn't stop grinning last night. David's really done a number on him."

"He was kind of on cloud nine wasn't he?" Jarrod laughed, remembering when he and Dom had gone around later that night to be introduced to the latest cub in their pack. "I couldn't be happier for them that everything worked out. Lily looked great all things considered."

"I'll tell you this much, if I didn't know, I would never have picked her as having a c-section within the last week." Dominic agreed. "They both seem really happy."

"It kind of makes you think about thing doesn't it?" Jarrod asked him, running a hand through his hair. "You know...about...the future."

"I know what you're saying." Dominic replied. "It made me think a lot about what I want out of life."

"You're talking about Gabby aren't you?" Jarrod asked him. Dominic nodded his head in response.

"I really love her. She's the most amazing person I've ever met." He told him. "I really think things are going well with her. She asked me to go to her graduation next month."

"I could have seen that one coming." Jarrod told him. "I guess she wanted you to go to the prom too."

"She does." Dominic replied with a smile. "I wasn't going to go originally; I kind of felt self conscious about the whole thing. I only got my diploma online a while ago. I kind of thought it would just make me feel out of place since I'd never done it myself."

"I take it that's changed." Jarrod asked him.

"I'm still self conscious about it." Dominic told him. "But now I realise it's more about Gabby than it is about me. She's worked so hard for this, she deserves a night to celebrate."

"Not to mention it'll be a great night out for you." Jarrod told him, putting an arm around him. "I'm sure you'll have a great night."

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be good." Dominic replied gently. "I was kind of thinking that I should talk to her dad first though."

"Her dad?" Jarrod asked him. "Why would you need to talk to her dad?"

"He's been really cool with me and really understanding. I just wanted to let him know how much that means to me." He replied, fidgeting nervously. "I wanted to make sure it was cool with him if I asked Gabby to...take the next step."

"I doubt that's the kind of thing you should talk to her dad about." Jarrod chuckled. "You know there are some things a father doesn't want to know..."

"What? No...not THAT!" He replied, blushing a little. "We aren't rushing things, we're not like you and Susan..."

"Low blow!" Jarrod stated, shoving him a little.

"No, I was kind of thinking of asking her...you know...asking her to marry me." He told his brother. Jarrod smiled at him, putting his arm around Dom's shoulders.

"Things are getting serious." Jarrod said gently.

"I wasn't thinking about right away or anything, I know she'll be going to college in the fall, and I want her to concentrate on that."

"I know things have been going well between the two of you, are you sure?" Jarrod asked him. Dominic just nodded in response. "Wow, that's pretty big time."

"Well I really feel like I'm ready for this." Dominic replied with a boyish grin, thinking about her. "I just hope Gabby feels the same way."

Meanwhile, Michelle made her way into the Rock Porium, finding Flit stacking some shelves. She was wearing a light blue business suit, and had styled her hair into a neat, professional pony tail. Flit put down the CDs he was carrying and came over to her.

"Can I help you Michelle?" He asked her.

"How did you know I wasn't Susan?" She asked him. "We are identical you know."

"Not quite, Susan never dresses so..." His words tailed off as he tried to think how to say it diplomatically. "Well...she never dresses like that."

"I guess she never did put much stock in formal dress." Michelle conceded.

"That and I noticed you didn't have the scarring." He told her without thinking. Michelle looked at him a little concerned. She knew he meant the scarring from the reconstructive surgery she'd received following her brutal attack at the hands of corrupt police officers.

"They tried to hide that." She said in a little gasp. "It shouldn't be noticeable, it…"

"No, no it really isn't!" He rushed out, realising her concern for her sister. One of the things they had tried to do was to leave as little sign as possible to help her recover psychologically from the attack. "It's almost invisible. I only notice because I'm experienced in these things."

"You're a doctor?" She asked him.

"Not exactly." Flit replied. "I'm a healer. Years ago the temple trained me in alternative medicine."

"Alternative medicine?" She asked him. "You mean like tea and massage and all that stuff?"

"That's a part of it." He replied with a chuckle as he heard the slight note of scepticism in her voice. He knew that having been trained as a doctor, she would have reservations about treatments out with those she had been taught to believe in. "I know there are a lot of charlatans out there that sell a load of crap, but there's a lot more to medicine than labs and chemicals. A lot of alternative remedies have pretty amazing results."

"Maybe you ca tell me some of them sometime." She said, trying to hide the slightly dismissive note in her voice. "Anyway, where can I find my sister?"

"Susan's not here right now." He informed her. "She had to make a bank run this morning. We're running short of change."

"Damn, I was hoping to talk to her before the disciplinary hearing." She muttered, looking around.

"What disciplinary hearing?" Flit asked her. Michelle rolled her eyes in disgust as she thought about what was happening.

"Dr. Wallace, the doctor that did the operation with me, he was suspended afterwards." Michelle explained. Flit looked at her a little curiously. "Apparently the hospital was worried they could have been sued if he botched the operation because he isn't on their books as a surgeon."

"But they would have died if he didn't do it." Flit said in disgust as he heard this. "What was he supposed to do? Let them die?"

"I went to his apartment the other night." Se continued. "He said the legal counsel's been after him for a while. He's sure this is just a head hunt."

"But you took part in the operation too." Flit commented.

"So far they haven't contacted the hospital back in San Fran." She told him as she leant against the counter. "I'm not that worried, I'm well thought of there. The thing is that they'll know I was only doing it to help."

She began pacing as her frustration overtook her. She Groaned loudly and kicked the counter in disgust. As different as they were, Flit had to admit seeing a little of Susan in her as she did that. She seemed to have the Rhodes family temper.

"It's just s damn frustrating!" She snarled as she ran a hand through her hair. "He was only doing what he's required to do by the Hippocratic Oath. He has to do anything he can to preserve the life of a patient. He has surgical experience, he handled it really well, we both did!"

"We healers had a similar oath." He told her comfortingly. "So how can they fire him if he only did what was right?"

"They can't take his licence; that can only be done by the AMA, and they'll never take hi licence for attempting an operation that was well within his capabilities to save a patient's life." She told him. "But the hospital can set its own policy. The fact is that he isn't on their staff as a surgeon, so they would have been liable if anything went wrong. They're trying to fire him for negligence."

Flit thought for a second before smiling at her.

"Wait here for a second." He told her, heading into the back room. He came back a while later with a flask and handed it to her.

"What's this?" She asked him.

"It's tea." He replied. "Put some of this into the coffee pots at the meeting."

"No offence, but I doubt it's going to help to try and poison them." She told him, handing the flask back to him. Flit took the flask and took a long drink from it, before handing it back to her.

"It's nothing harmful." He told her. "Put it in, I promise it'll make the proceedings a lot more interesting."

Michelle had her doubts, but then she had inadvertently insulted Flit's training. She knew that he had tended the other's wounds in the past, and none of them complained. She had just been trained to have more than a little scepticism about alternative medicine, or "Witchdoctors, fairy dust and prayer" as one of her harsher lecturers at university had called it. She accepted the flask, putting it into her handbag, and leaving the shop. Flit watched her go with a grin.

"I sometimes wish I was still a fly." He said with a giggle. "I'd love to be on the wall during that meeting."

Susan came back into the Rock Porium with her arms full of change bags to find Flit stacking shelves.

"I thought you started doing that before I left." She remarked. "Were we busy?"

"No, only your sister was here." Flit told her truthfully. "She wanted to talk to you before the disciplinary meeting, but she had to go before you got back."

"Dammit, I forgot that was today." She whispered gently. "How was she?"

"She was nervous, so I gave her some tea to take with her." He told her. "I told her to put it in the pots at the meeting."

"In the pots?" Susan asked him, her eyes widening a little as he said this. She had personal experience of Flit's expertise in herbology. "Flit, what tea did you give her?"

Meanwhile at the hospital, Michelle was shown into the meeting room, though the other board members hadn't arrived yet.

"The coffee's already out." The intern told her, gesturing to the pots on the table. "They'll be here shortly."

She sat down, putting her bag down on the table and poured herself a cup. She sat, sipping it for a while, as she picked up her bag. She hated having to be here. It wasn't right that a man's career hung in the balance over this. Essentially he was being set up over a personal grudge.

She looked to her bag for a second and thought about Flit. She remembered him giving her the tea, and thought about it for a second. It couldn't really make a difference could it?

Susan had called her virtually every day as she recovered from the attack, and she used to talk about Flit's remedies all the time. Susan had always been a fast healer. A tomboyish childhood and an active lifestyle had left that in little doubt, but she used to swear by the unusual little man's potions and treatments. She swore that she recovered a lot quicker as a result. Of course Michelle was sceptical.

Figuring it couldn't hurt, she spiked the pots as she had been instructed. She put the flask away just before the board members arrived. Dr. Wallace came in, wearing a suit, and clean-shaven. He was trying to make a good impression on the board. He sat with Susan and poured himself some coffee.

"How are you?" She asked him.

"Nervous." He replied honestly. "I just wish it was over one way or another."

The legal counsel came in a second later, along with the chief of medicine. He gave Dr Wallace a little smirk as he set down his briefcase and poured himself some coffee.

"Let's get this meeting started then shall we?" The Chief of Medicine stated, sinking a whole mug of coffee, seemingly without breathing. "I don't want this to take long."

"As you know I wanted to bring your attention to the case of an unscheduled surgery performed by Dr. Wallace…"

"And Dr. Rhodes." Michelle chipped in supportively.

"And Dr. Rhodes." He added. "On the date in question, in total disregard of this hospital's strict operational guidelines took a patient, Mrs. James, into a vacant Operating Room, and performed a caesarean section…"

"The baby had become tangled in the umbilical chord." Dr Wallace interrupted him. "She was minutes away from bleeding to death internally. If we didn't do it, they both would have died."

"Well according to the chart…" The Chief of Medicine seemed to be struggling. He blinked his eyes and stroked the bridge of his nose. Michelle looked around and saw the others, Dr Wallace included, acting the same way. He shook his head to compose himself. "As I said, this chart concurs with your findings."

Dr. Wallace looked at him, a little surprised by his statement. He thought this was a kangaroo court. The Chief of Medicine looked almost as shocked as he did at what he had said.

"Why are you trying to fire me if you agree with me?" Dr. Wallace asked. "We both know you've been trying to get rid of me for months!"

Michelle looked at him, her mouth hanging open in astonishment. Was he suicidal? It might have been true, but why was he saying something so confrontational when he was under review?

"Of course we have!" The Legal Counsel interjected. "You blemished my courtroom record with that loss in the Jameson case."

His face turned beetroot red and his eyes grew wide in shock. Michelle shrunk into her seat, watching events unfold.

"You idiot, why did you say that?" The Chief of Medicine snapped, rounding on the lawyer. "This was an open and shut case, we could have had him out of here…"

"Well if you're going to chew me out for this, then why don't you tell them why you wanted Dr. Wallace out of here?" The lawyer asked him.

"You know perfectly well I only wanted to clear a position on the roster for my son!" He snapped back. By now, Susan had to try hard to keep a straight face. She had finally figured out what the tea Flit had given her had done.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but would you like us to send Dr. Wallace back on duty, or would you like to do it?" One of the board members asked. Both the Chief of Medicine and the Legal Counsel turned back to the table, seeing all the board members staring at them in stunned surprise at the outpouring of devastating truths. "Dr. Wallace, you are cleared of all charges. Clearly there are far more serious problems at this hospital. You and Dr. Rhodes may go, we have matters to discuss with Dr. Porter and Mr. Stevens here."

They both sat down, their faces drained of colour as Michelle and Susan left the room. Dr. Wallace rested his back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief, before looking up at Michelle.

"What just happened?" He asked her. Michelle shrugged and shook her head, grateful that she hadn't drunk any of Flit's concoction, and as such retained her ability to lie.

"Maybe you just shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." She suggested. "You deserve to get through this."

"Well something tells me they won't." He replied with a relieved little laugh. "I'm just going to go and get my next shifts."

"This place wouldn't be the same without you." Michelle told him. "You're a great doctor."

"So are you Michelle." He relied, shaking her hand. He turned and left, making his way up the hall. Michelle pulled the flask out of her bag and looked at it in amazement, finally allowing herself to laugh at the situation she was sure was going on in the board room.

"I guess I was wrong about this alternative medicine issue. There really is more to it than I thought." She said to herself as she put the flask away and left the hospital.


	59. Asking Permission

Dominic approached Gabby's house slowly later that afternoon. He knew that Gabby was at the library to study for the last of her exams, and so he would be getting a chance to speak to her parents by himself.

He stroked his neck nervously as he arrived at the gate and looked up the long path to their massive house. He had been assured by her father, George that he was fine with them dating. He had hated the thought of presenting himself to them all those months ago, feeling that he had little to offer her. However, between saving her from Karl had convinced them of his character.

George had told him that the fact he didn't have money wasn't his concern, as long as he made Gabby happy. Of course that was then. Now he was going to be asking for a million times more than just dating the man's only child. He was going to be asking him if he could marry her. He might not have cared if Dominic had much to give her before when he was dating her, but how would he feel about that when he was talking about making a life with her?

He almost chickened out and left. How would he expect her father to feel about a guy that as far as he knew had no money and worked part-time in a pizza take-away marrying into his family? He wanted him to be alright with it. Gabby and her parents had become a lot closer over the last few months as a result of her kidnapping. Being forced to face the prospect of losing her had caused them to re-evaluate what was important to them. Now they both spent a lot more time with her, and had mended a lot of bridges with her. He loved her dearly, and wanted to ask her to marry him. He just didn't want to be the one to come between them now that they had become closer.

"Dominic!" Her father called out, bringing him back to his senses. Dom turned to see his car pulling up alongside him. "It's great to see you. Sorry, but I don't think Gabby's home."

"No, she isn't." Dom said a little nervously. "It was actually you and Deborah I wanted to talk to."

"Really?" He said, looking a little surprised by this. "You better come in then."

Dom followed his car up to the front of the house, meeting him as he parked the car. He still always felt a little uncomfortable at their place. As much as it never bothered him personally that he wasn't wealthy, he always worried about the future he could give Gabby. She had grown up in this massive house. Her dad got out of his "everyday" car. The BMW, and came over to Dom. It didn't help matters that he parked with his other two cars. A Bentley, for when he wanted to impress particularly important clients, and a Porsche, which he had "just for fun" when he felt like a spin on the weekends. He knew he would never be able to give Gabby that kind of life. George rushed over to him, pulling off his tie and unbuttoning his waistcoat.

"I always love getting out of the office and being able to get into some normal clothes, don't you?" He asked him. Dom kind of smirked and nodded. The closest he had to "office clothes" were his training robes, and his JKP uniform. Neither of them could exactly be considered formal wear. George threw an arm around Dom enthusiastically and led him in the front door.

"Deborah, Dominic's here." He called out to his wife. She came out of the sitting room, greeting him with the bright smile that Gabby had inherited, the one that he loved so much.

He still couldn't get over how much she looked like Gabby. He had heard people say before that the mother was a good reference for how their girlfriend would be in 20 years. If that was true, then Gabby had little to worry about for the future. She was in incredible health. Much like her daughter, she was very active, and loved exercise. She was dressed a lot less formally this time than any of the previous times he had seen her. She was wearing jeans and a pale blue Harvard University sweatshirt.

"Dom, it's great to see you!" She gushed as she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. He had to laugh; he could see where Gabby got her enthusiasm. "You should have let us know you were coming. Gabby's not here..."

"He said it was us he wanted to talk to." George told her. "Would you mind waiting until I get into something a little less formal?"

"Aren't you working this afternoon?" Dom asked him. George just laughed.

"As the boss, one of the luxuries is getting to take a half-day once in a while." He replied, making his way up the stairs. "I'll be down shortly."

"Would you like something to drink?" Deborah asked him, leading him into the sitting room. "Tea? Coffee?"

"Do you have any soda?" Dom asked her.

"I'm sure we have some." She replied. "Caffeine is one of Gabby's major vices."

"Well that explains a lot." He said in a chuckle as she went through to the kitchen. He took a seat, waiting for them as he tried to concentrate. He was more worried about being able to speak now than coming up with the words to say. He couldn't get comfortable on the chair, and his mouth became very dry. Deborah came into the room, carrying a tray with several cans of soda, setting it down on the table. She handed one to Dom.

"So what have you been up to?" She asked him, taking a seat. "We haven't seen you much recently."

"I've been kind of busy." He conceded, taking a sip. His mouth was so dry from his nerves; his voice was a little weak and was cracking slightly. "There's been a lot happening."

"Gabby talks about you all the time." She told him, settling into the cushions comfortably. "She says you and her uncle are teaching her a lot. She can't shut up about the lessons you give her. I haven't seen her so excited since she started competing in those dance competitions."

"She's come a long way." Dominic agreed. "We're all really proud of her."

"She said Lily had her baby." Deborah rushed out, remembering her coach. "She said he's adorable."

"He is something alright." Dominic agreed. "Lily and RJ are over the moon."

"I remember when I had Gabby." She said, looking to the ceiling as she reminisced. "She was such a curious and inquisitive little girl. She was amazing."

"Are you talking about yourself again honey?" George asked as he arrived in the room, wearing a pair of jeans and a grey T-shirt. He sat down with her on the couch, pulling her into himself.

"No, just talking about when Gabby was born." She replied. "We were talking about Lily's little boy and I got a little nostalgic."

"I remember I couldn't stop smiling." George interjected. "I couldn't believe something so small could make me so happy."

'Great.' Dom thought to himself. 'Now they're thinking about her as a little girl. How am I meant to ask them now?'

"Anyway, you said you had something to talk to us about." George stated, bringing his attention back. "So what can we do to help you?"

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about Gabby." He began, though his voice came out in a tiny squeak. His throat was closing up. He shifted forward, putting his empty can on the table and picked up another, cracking it open.

"What about her?" George asked him. "Do you want to take her on another break? You know you don't have to ask us for that, we trust you."

"Gabby told us all about that spa you took her to at Valentines." Deborah said, taking a sip herself. "It sounds like it was beautiful."

"It was great." Dom agreed, gulping some more soda nervously.

"We know you'll take care of her." George told him. "You can take her for a holiday. She's been working on her exams so hard, she deserves a break."

"That's great, but I wasn't actually thinking of taking her on holiday." Dominic stammered. His heart beat a little faster, and he suddenly felt a pull in his stomach. He held up a hand to them a little uncomfortably. "Can I use the bathroom?"

"It's upstairs, fourth door on the left." Deborah said, pointing to the hall. Dominic nodded his head and left. George turned to her with a curious look on his face.

"Do you think he's alright?" He asked her. "He seemed a little on edge."

"A little?" She asked him in a giggle. "If he was wound any tighter he'd pop out of his skin."

"What could make him so nervous?" George asked her.

"You don't know?" Deborah asked with a little disbelief in her eyes. "You were just the same, I recognise the signs."

"What?" He asked her. She leaned in and whispered in her ear. He smiled as he listened. "Do you really think so?"

"You were just the same." She recalled. "It was so adorable to watch. You couldn't put more than two words together."

"I wasn't that bad was I?" He asked. She just nodded in response.

Dominic came into the room, having composed himself as much as he could. He took a seat again. George leant forward, smiling.

"Deborah and I think we know why you're here." He said gently. Dominic looked up with a panicked expression. He had honestly wanted to ask them himself. George pulled out a cheque book and a pen, leaning on the table. "How much?"

"Excuse me?" Dominic asked him. Deborah got up, her hair falling into her face and left the room. Dominic watched her go, feeling a little exposed now that it was just him and Gabby's father.

"It's never easy to ask to borrow money." He replied. "How much do you need?"

"I wasn't asking for money..."

"Well I don't know what else I have you could want." He said with a grin. "Would you like to borrow one of the cars?"

"No, that's not it..."

"A job then." He suggested. "I could make some calls..."

"I don't want your money; I want to ask Gabby to marry me!" Dominic rushed out to break the moment. George just looked at him a little stunned.

"I see." He replied, putting the cheque book away. "May I ask why you're telling me this?"

"You're her parents." He replied, taking a long gulp and trying to figure out what he was going to say to him. "I know you mean a lot to her, so I was..."

"I get it." George said with a slightly harsher tone in his voice. "You're asking my permission."

"Well..."

"What if I say no?" George asked him. "If I said I didn't want you to marry her and refused to give you my permission..."

"I'd beg you to reconsider." Dominic told him. "George, you mean a lot to Gabby, and her happiness is very important to me. You've accepted me every step of the way in our relationship because you know I love her and I have her best interests at heart." He set the can down on the table and moved a little closer.

"Whatever makes Gabby happy is the only thing that matters to me." He told him passionately. "That's why what you think is so important to me. I want you to be alright with this, that's why I wanted to talk to you first."

"You still haven't answered my question." George said a little more forcefully. "What if I say no? Will you respect that?"

Dominic let out a sigh and hung his head as he heard this. This was exactly what he didn't want. He hoped he would be alright. He thought about Gabby and everything she meant to him. His fists clenched and he raised his head, looking George straight in the eyes as he found the strength to reply.

"I would respect your decision." He replied. "But I would still ask her."

"I see." George stated. "So you aren't really asking my permission..."

"I'm not asking your permission because I love Gabby, and it's her decision to make." Dominic stated flatly. "I was hoping for your blessing though. I know it would mean a lot to Gabby...

George couldn't keep up the pretence any longer and burst out laughing. Dominic looked a little confused at the reaction. Deborah came back into the room, smacking him on the arm as he laughed.

"You're so twisted, do you know that?" She chastised him. "I'm sorry Dominic; I knew he'd pull something like this. That's why I had to leave."

"She couldn't keep a straight face." He chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Dominic asked, unsure whether to be relieved that the reaction was so much less tense, or annoyed that he seemed to be the butt of a joke.

"I figured out why you were here." Deborah confirmed. "George was the same way when he spoke to my dad."

"You knew?" Dominic asked. "So this was all a joke?"

"Well, kind of." George told him, wiping a tear from his eye and becoming a little more serious. "I wanted to be sure how you felt about her."

"I don't understand." Dominic replied.

"I didn't want you to ask for my permission." George told him. "I wanted you to TELL me that you were going to ask her. What I think is immaterial if it's what you want to do. What matters is that you felt strongly enough about her to ask her, even if I didn't approve."

"Your opinion really means a lot to me." Dominic told him. "I'd hate to think..."

"Dominic, what did I say to you at the Garden Party?" George asked him. Dominic smiled as he remembered.

"If I make Gabby happy, that's all that matters to you." Dominic responded.

"If you remember I told you that Deborah's father was from an old money family." He continued. "He didn't think I was good enough for her because when we started dating in college I didn't have two cents to rub together."

"But you earned your money." Dominic said, remembering what he had told him. "So that earned his respect."

"No, he still didn't think I was good enough for her." He continued. "When I bought my first business, I asked him for his blessing and he still didn't think I was good enough for her. Do you know how I earned his respect?" Dominic shook his head.

"I told him I'd marry her anyway." He replied.

"I believe his exact words were, 'if you don't like it, you can blow it out your ass'." Deborah chipped in.

"Eventually he grew to respect me because I took care of his daughter." George concluded. He leant in closer, looking Dominic in the eyes. "I lost sight of what was important to me, we both did. Because of that, we nearly lost our daughter. If it wasn't for you, we'd never have gotten this second chance to make things right."

"So you're alright with this?" Dominic asked him. He looked to his wife and smiled at her.

"You seem like a perfectly responsible young man." He told him. "You hold down a job, you pay your bills, and you take care of those important to you. More importantly than that, I've never seen Gabby this happy. I'd be delighted if you'd ask her to marry you."

"So would I." Deborah said reassuringly. "She's lucky to have you."

"Thank you." Dominic replied with a sigh of relief. "I have to admit I was a lot more nervous than I thought I'd be."

"That's how you know that what you're doing's right." George responded. "Now, I'm alright with you asking her, but right now..."

"I was going to wait until after her exams." Dominic assured him, pre-empting the request. "She's worked really hard this year. I want her to do well, so I won't ask her yet. I'll let her concentrate on the exams."

"Well I'm pleased to hear that." Deborah replied, looking impressed with him. "So have you thought about when you wanted to ask her?"

"I was thinking of the Prom." Dominic told them. "I thought by then she'd have done her exams and be a little more relaxed."

"Have you thought about college?" George asked him.

"Gabby said she wanted to go to college in the fall." Dominic told them. "I have no intention of stopping her. I want her to do what makes her happy. I don't mind waiting for her."

"Well, I guess that's everything I want to say about it." George replied, smiling at him proudly. "Good luck when you ask her."

"Thanks." Dominic replied, getting up from the table. "I really hope she accepts."

"Good luck Dominic." Deborah said, coming to his side and hugging him. "I hope it turns out well for you."

Dominic made his way to the door, stopping at the door frame. He started laughing gently.

"What's so funny?" George asked him.

"I remember being nervous to tell Gabby's uncle we were dating originally. I know how protective he is of her." He responded. He looked to George. "He played a similar joke. You and your brother are a lot more alike than you'd like to think."

As he left, Deborah smacked the back of his head, before sitting on his lap, putting an arm around him.

"You and your sense of humour." She reprimanded him playfully. "That was just evil. You saw how nervous he was."

"Deborah, we only have one daughter, it's not like we'll get another chance." He reminded her. "I just needed to get a little fun out of it."

"You and your brother are as bad as each other." She stated, getting up and leaving the room. George just laughed.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself in for Dom." He said to himself. "Marrying into this family is like taking your life in your hands."


	60. The Unity of Healers

Flit was sweeping up the floor as Michelle came back into the Rock Porium.

"We're closed." He called out without looking over his shoulder. Michelle laughed, causing him to turn around.

"I thought you might like your flask back." She told him, setting it on the counter.

"How did the meeting go?" Flit asked her with a knowing grin.

"It was...entertaining." She conceded, thinking about how Dr. Wallace had found himself being cleared of all charges against him by the board. Whatever Flit had put into that tea was stronger than sodium pentothal. "They started saying more...a lot more...than they should have."

"I figured they would." Flit responded. "How was Dr. Wallace?"

"He goes back to work next week." She told him. "He went out with friends. I went out with a few friends. I went along for a couple, but I could see pretty quickly they'd drink me under the table."

"Try having a stomach capacity of a cubic centimetre." Flit replied with a weak laugh. "One sip of champagne and I couldn't fly straight for three days."

"You keep doing that." Michelle said, leaning against the counter. "You keep making jokes I wish I understood."

"It's not that interesting." He replied.

"Try me." Michelle beckoned him. Flit looked over to her, before resting his broom against the wall.

"I'm 783 years old." He began.

"You don't look it." Michelle told him. A couple of years ago, she would have thought this was ridiculous, but her younger brother had ended up marrying and having a child with a woman 10,000 years or more his senior. "You look about 25."

"Thanks." He told her. "I was a healer for the Pai Zhuq temple, but there was a major battle. I ended up facing Camille."

"Camille?" Michelle asked him.

"At one time we were enemies." He told her. "I faced her in open combat, but on that day she caught me unawares. She threw a dust over me that turned me into a fly."

"You were a fly?" She asked him. He nodded in reply.

"I was a fly for hundreds of years." He told her. "That's why I have a problem with bug zappers. I had an unpleasant experience with one a while ago."

"You always do that." Michelle chuckled, thinking of the mental image of him hitting a bug zapper.

"What?" He asked, sitting on the chair behind the counter. Michelle looked at him and smiled.

"You always make jokes." She told him. "Weren't you angry?"

"Of course I was angry." He told her. "But then I'm sure you're angry at patients too."

"Patients?" She asked him.

"You treat alcoholics don't you?" He asked her.

"We do." She told him.

"What about drug addicts?" He pressed on, leaning in a little.

"We get more of those than we know what to do with." She answered. "But those are patients..."

"So was she." Flit told her. "You don't live with someone...never mind inside them...for hundreds of years without getting a good idea who they are."

"You're talking about Dai Shi." Michelle surmised, taking the scrunchie out of her hair and running a hand through it. "Casey said she was in an abusive relationship. He filled us in after he told us about the whole Pai Zhuq thing."

"She was in a really bad place." He told her in a sigh. "Casey did the most, but I like to think I helped her get to a better place."

"I'm sure you did." Michelle told him.

"So what about you?" He asked her. "Why aren't you out there with Dr. Wallace and the boys?"

"I can live without it." She said in response, holding up her hands. "My days of boozing it up with the boys ended in medical school."

"It's not about that." Flit told her. "You stood up for a fellow healer. I'd have thought you'd want to celebrate him getting through this."

"He's married." She responded.

"I didn't ask about that." Flit reminded her. "Why did you think I'd be thinking about that?"

"He's not my type. Anyway, you said you were fighting Camille." Michelle said loudly, changing the subject. Flit nodded his head. "That's kind of strange."

"How so?" Flit asked her, pulling a couple of cans of soda out from under the counter and giving her one.

"You're a healer." She stated.

"I am." He replied proudly. "What of it?"

"Well, I'm a doctor. I spend my life putting people back together." She responded. "Taking them apart seems kind of antithetical."

"Not really when you think about it." Flit told her. "Are you saying you've never given someone a treatment you knew would kill them because you knew they didn't have a chance and wanted to spare them the pain?"

"That's within the Hippocratic Oath." She told him. "That's what we're there to do, stop people suffering."

"So you wouldn't hurt someone to defend your patients?" Flit asked her.

"I would..."

Her words were cut off as Flit swung a slow, overhead chop at her head. She grabbed his wrist and flipped him onto the floor, before backing off. Flit laughed as he got back to his feet.

"You can defend yourself." He stated.

"Dad taught me a little Kung Fu when I was young." She told him. "I gave it up when I was a teenager."

"Would you defend your patients?" He asked her. "Even if it meant harming others?"

"I can't harm others!" She told him. "I've learned all about the human body to..."

"Let me suggest something." Flit interrupted her, lifting her left arm. "Hold it steady."

She did what he said, as much as she could. He began stroking and rubbing her arm thoughtfully, before placing a hand on her wrist.

"You've injured this arm." He told her. "It never recovered."

"I was a cheerleader in High School." Michelle responded. "I was dropped when we were forming a pyramid. I broke my arm pretty badly, it never fully recovered."

"I bet I can make this arm stronger than the right one." He stated, putting a 20 on the counter. Michelle smiled at him for a second, before matching his bet.

"Deal." She told him. "Go on then, show me."

He lifted up her left arm, and felt along it, before finding a point that made his brow furrow. He jammed his knuckle into it.

"Hold it." He instructed her. He pushed downwards, pushing her hand to her side. She smiled at him, realising she had much more strength in it than before.

"You're a miracle worker!" She shrieked. "That arm's been weak since I was 16!"

"Hold out your right." He beckoned her. She did as she was told. He felt along it, finding the right spot.

"This is where I pressed to relieve your left arm." He told her. He moved his finger along about a quarter of an inch, and then pressed his knuckle into it. Her right arm fell down and dangled uselessly at her side. He came over to her as she glared at him and lifted her arm, before pressing another point and bringing it back to full function."

"The same science that revived one of your arms is the science that disabled the other." He told her. "That's why what I learned is not hypocritical."

"You can heal because you know the body." Michelle said with a slight grin as she realised what he was saying.

"I know how it works, because I know how to make it stop working." Flit announced proudly. "That is the training of the healer."

"My left arm feels great." Michelle told him. "Could you teach me?"

"I can teach anyone." Flit answered. "Of course you have to want to learn."

"I'm a healer." She assured him. "I want people to heal. That's what I've studied for all this time."

"That's just what I wanted to hear." He told her with a smile. "I admit to knowing nothing about modern medicine, but I think you'll agree the old ways have some merit."

"I'll admit that." She responded. "So what's first?"

Flit closed the door and flipped the sign as he prepared to give Michelle her first lesson in alternative medicine. It felt good to advance the knowledge of a fellow healer.

Meanwhile, up at the temple, Susan found Jarrod in his bedroom, reading an ancient book, detailing the legends of the temple. He was so immersed in his reading he didn't notice her coming in. She crept up behind him, placing her hands over his eyes.

"I've been teaching you too well obviously." He laughed, putting down the book. "Normally I'd know someone was sneaking up on me before they came in the door."

"You aren't too disappointed are you?" She asked him. Jarrod shook his head.

"How could I possibly be disappointed to see you?" He asked her, kissing her gently. "How are things?"

"They're not bad." She told him. "They're a lot better now though."

"I'm glad to hear that." Jarrod told her, pulling her onto the bed. She laughed as he ended up on top of her, pinning her on the bed.

"You know this could give someone ideas." She commented, looking up at him. Jarrod leant down, kissing her passionately. He raised himself above her and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I love you." He stated, running a hand through her hair.

"I love you too." She responded. "Thanks."

"What for?" He asked her. He let her up, a little curious as to what she meant. She sat up on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor.

"The last few months have been pretty wild, and I know I haven't been the easiest of girls to be with." She began, fidgeting nervously. "Between recovering from the attack and the pregnancy scare and everything, I wouldn't have blamed you for deciding you could live without it."

"A quiet life is completely over rated." He told her. "I love you."

"I just wanted to say thanks for taking it slowly with me." She continued. She took his hand and looked into his eyes. "It really means a lot. I know it must have hurt when I said I wanted to take a break. It was a huge mistake."

"Given the way things went down, I understand." He stated, placing a hand on her cheek. "I wasn't exactly a superhero the way I reacted when you said you were pregnant."

"The thing is, back then, when you said that you'd stick by me, that you'd help me raise the baby, I could see us together." She told him. "I could see us as a family, growing old together, all of that kind of stuff. I saw it and I really liked it."

"I'm glad you feel that way." He responded. "I'm really happy with you."

"I went to see Casey after we broke up." She informed him. "He talked some sense into me. He told me that it's you that makes me happy and he talked me into getting back together with you."

"He's definitely easing up a little." Jarrod agreed. "I don't think he'll ever be totally cool with anyone being with his sisters, but he seems to have accepted me at least."

"The thing is, things are going so well, I was wondering if you'd like to take things a little further." She suggested.

"What are you suggesting?" He asked her. Susan smiled at him and took off her jacket, throwing it into the corner as she pulled into a long, deep kiss.

"Well?" She asked him, looking into his eyes. She raised her eyebrows a little. "Are you interested?"

Jarrod reached around behind her head and pulled into another long kiss. He didn't need to say anything to let her know how he felt about her.

Flit showed Michelle into his apartment, throwing his jacket into the corner.

"Make yourself at home." He told her as he went into the bathroom. Michelle headed through to the living room, and had to do a double-take. It was like a miniature rainforest. There were plants sitting on just about every available surface, leaving little room for anything else.

"I take it the rainforest is for your potions." She called through. Flit laughed.

"I use a lot of plants for my treatments." He told her. "I guess I have gone a bit overboard though. I just really love gardening."

"So I see." She responded. As he came into the room, she pointed to one plant in particular in the corner and raised her eyebrows.

"You do know that one's illegal right?" She asked him. "I haven't seen one of those since I was at med school."

"Cannabis has a lot of medicinal qualities." He assured her. "I know I shouldn't strictly speaking be growing it. I guess I just have to hope the cops don't search the place."

"So what can you show me?" She asked him.

"The first thing I want to take you through is a basic panacea." He informed her, picking up some clippers and gathering some leaves from a few plants. "This is one of the first things I was shown. It's great for basic aches, pains and headaches."

"They were interrupted as Michelle's cell phone rang. She looked at Flit apologetically, before answering it. He waited patiently as she took the call.

"Dr. Wallace, it's good to hear from you." She told him. "So when do you go back to work?"

"Never." He told her. "Well, not as the residency director anyway."

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"They offered me the Chief of Medicine post." He informed her cheerfully. "The old buzzard and the legal counsel opted to resign."

"I guess we could have predicted they'd save their pensions." She responded. "Congratulations on the promotion."

"Well it does come with a downside." He said in a sigh. "It means I have to hire a new residency director. Do you know anyone that might be interested?"

"Are you serious?" She asked him. "You want me?"

"The way you stepped up to the plate when Mrs. James went into surgery tells me everything I need to know about you as a doctor." He stated with authority. "The way you stepped up to the plate for me in that meeting tells me everything I need to know about you as a person. I'd love it if you'd consider making a move."

"I'm on holiday for another week." She told him.

"Feel free to start after that." He told her. "So do you want the job?"

Michelle looked to Flit and smiled. She had wanted to advance her career for a while now, and she loved Ocean Bluff. Moving there would mean she would be closer to Casey and her niece, so she could see Holly more often. She would be able to see her sister a lot more often. She had missed Susan a lot since she had moved here.

"I'll just need to call mom." She told him. "I can start a week on Monday."

"I look forward to having you on staff Dr. Rhodes." He responded cheerfully. "I'm looking forward to it."

"So am I." She told him as she hung up.

"What did he say?" Flit asked her.

"He offered me a job." She told him. "I've decided to take it."

"I guess that means we have a lot more time for your lessons." He replied with a grin. "So, do you want me to teach you the basics?"

"No." She replied. "I'm a healer; anything you can teach me will help. I want you to teach me everything you know."

"Well I'm glad to have such an enthusiastic student." He told her with a smile. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes." She responded. "Teach me everything."

Back at the temple, Susan was resting comfortably in Jarrod's arms in the bed. She loved the feel of him there beside her, and knew she had made the right choice. She turned over, looking into his face and stroked her fingers across his chest gently.

"That tickles." He told her. Her hand strayed to the scar left by the injury he had suffered when Dai Shi's claw was driven into him.

"I really do love you." She told him.

"I love you too." He told her.

"Jarrod, can I ask you something?" She whispered, pulling into him.

"You already have." He chuckled; pointing out what she had said was in fact a question. She smacked him in the gut playfully. "Of course you can."

"Would you like to take things further?" She asked him.

"I don't really think there's much further we can go." He laughed.

"There is one more step we could take." She said to him, kissing his cheek as she searched for the words. She pulled herself up into a kneeling position on the bed and pulled the covers around herself tightly. She sorted out her hair as much as she could.

"Jarrod, would you like to...you know...give being engaged another try?"

He pulled himself up, sitting on the bed, staring at her disbelievingly.

"Are you proposing to me?" He asked her.

"I guess I am." She told him. "Well, would you like to give it another try?"

"Way to make me look whipped." He giggled. "It's meant to be the guy that proposes."

"Well I'm not waiting until the next 29th of February." She told him. "So, will we try again?"

"I can't think of anything I'd want more." He told her with authority. He pulled her into himself, kissing her passionately. He loved her so much, and more than anything in the world, he was certain that she was the woman he wanted to dedicate his life to. She had given up her career for him, and she had risked her life for him. He was more than willing to pledge his life to her. She was everything to him.


	61. Prom Night

Gabby left the exam room with an enthusiastic bounce in her step. This wasn't just any exam she had finished, this was her LAST exam. The last exam she would ever sit at this school. This was it; finally the torturous hell of High School was over.

She made her way outside with a huge grin on her face. The exam had gone well for her. She was certain she had nailed it. Leaving the building, she smiled as she saw Dom waiting by the gate. He knew that today was the day of her last exam, and had come to meet her. She launched herself into his arms, laughing loudly as she felt a sense of relief.

"I take it you're pleased to see me." He said as he held her. "How did it go?"

"It went really well." She told him confidently. "Everything I studied came up. I think I did it."

"I'm sure you did." He told her cheerfully. "You've worked really hard the last few months. You deserve it."

"Well I'm just glad it's over." She responded. "I'm not going to miss this place, that's for sure."

"Well you don't have to come back." He reminded her. "Now it's all over, you just have to concentrate on the prom."

"I'm looking forward to it." She told him. "I'm really glad you changed your mind and decided to come."

"Just remember you said that when I start dancing." He laughed in response.

Jessie and her friends walked past them, complaining loudly about how unfair the exam paper was. Gabby had to try hard to keep a straight face as she heard her complaining. Jessie had done everything she could to make her life miserable all year.

"What are you smirking about?" Jessie snapped, seeing Gabby standing there with Dominic.

"I'm just happy it's all over with." She replied.

"Well I guess you have to have SOMETHING to be happy about." Jessie sneered as she cast a judgemental gaze over her. "It's not like you'll have much else to brag about. You know some of us actually have someone to go to the Prom with."

"So does Gabby." Dom informed her, putting an arm around Gabby. Several of the girls with Jessie looked at Gabby a little stunned by this. Most of them had seen Dominic in the restaurant, and he had gathered a fair amount of attention from them. He felt a sense of satisfaction as he realised they were as jealous as hell that Gabby had gotten together with him.

"I guess someone had to take pity on you." Jessie remarked. "Of course I'm sure Mark would have gone with you if he hadn't run off to Blue Bay Harbour."

"He left because Barry and his Neanderthal friends." Gabby reminded her. "Of course he wasn't going to stick around after they jumped him."

"He probably loved it." Jessie sneered. "That sick freak probably got off on it."

"I don't remember you complaining when you were sniffing around him for half the year." Gabby snapped at her. "Of course you never really cared about him, I guess you probably moved onto the next member of the team."

Jessie turned sharply on her heel and stormed away from her angrily. Gabby had hit really close to the bone with that little barb, she was only interested in going out with someone on the team to enhance her image. After Mark's preferences had been discovered, she had indeed turned her attention to the next member of the team. Of course no one had called her on it like that. Dominic pulled her closer, holding her warmly.

"You handled that really well." He told her. "I'm sure she'll still be feeling that little shot when it comes time for the Prom."

"I'm just glad I'll never have to see her again." Gabby replied, wrapping her arms around him. "Anyway, never mind that, I'm in no mood to worry about this. I want to think about having a good time now that I'm finished."

"Well, I'd love to spend the afternoon with you." Dominic told her. "But I have a really important errand to run."

"Really?" She asked him, a look of disappointment crossing her face.

"You'll see me tonight." He reminded her as they began walking away from the school. "I promise I'll be there in good time."

"Well you better be." She grumbled, still not quite happy about him blowing her off like that. "I guess I can go and hang out with Lily and RJ for a while."

"I'm sure they'd love that." Dominic told her. "Lily's starting to get into her stride with David, and the other day I caught RJ with him in the papoose trying to teach him his secret pizza sauce recipe."

"He does know David probably doesn't understand a word he's saying right?" Gabby giggled at the mental image. "He is only a week and a half old."

"Do you think that matters to RJ?" Dom asked her. "He can't wait to teach him the family business."

"I guess that was to be expected." Gabby replied.

"Anyway, I'll pick you up tonight." He told her as they reached the shopping district. "I'll be there at 8 sharp."

"You better be mister." She warned him. "The dress I bought cost me an arm and a leg."

Dominic smiled as she said this. One of the things he liked and respected about Gabby was that she didn't rely on her parent's money to get by like a lot of the other rich kids in town. It had been her idea to work at JKP so that she could pay her own way. She had told her parents that she wanted to earn the money to pay her own way through college, a fact that hadn't surprised them. Having earned all his money, her dad had always wanted her to learn to be responsible with money, and he hadn't been disappointed in her. Just like her dad, Gabby didn't want anything to be handed to her. She was going to earn everything for herself.

"Well I hope you left enough in your account for your first semester's books." He replied. "I'll see you at 8."

She waved half-heartedly, clearly still disappointed at not getting to spend the day with him. Dominic though smiled as he waved to her. He did have an important errand to run, he disappointment now would make her so much more cheerful tonight when he gave her the ring and got down on one knee before her. He couldn't wait.

Gabby arrived at JKP, finding that it was a complete madhouse. Nearly every kid in Ocean Bluff had descended on the restaurant following the exams. Michael and Megan had come to the rescue, though by the look on Mr. Chilman's face, he seemed to be wondering how exactly he was a silent partner in the business as he bussed tables.

"Gabby, I'm glad to see you." RJ told her as he ran out of the kitchen with a couple of plates. "Could you possibly help out for a little while?"

"I don't have anything better to do." She replied with a shrug. "Just give me a while to change."

"You are a legend!" He gasped in his relief. "There's a free pizza in it for you when this crowd leaves."

"Make it a portion of garlic bread with chilli sauce and it's a deal." She told him. "Dom has to learn a lesson about standing me up."

"I guess there'll be no romance tonight." He chuckled as he headed back into the kitchen. Gabby went upstairs into the apartment, finding Lily sleeping on the couch. She cursed herself as Lily stirred and woke up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's alright, David's probably about ready for his feed." She responded with a yawn. Gabby looked at the exhausted Yellow Ranger sympathetically.

"I take it he's been keeping you on your toes." Gabby asked her as she looked out a spare uniform from the cupboard. Lily nodded her head wearily as she rubbed her eyes.

"I love him, but he's been a very effective alarm clock." She told her. "He's definitely got his daddy's appetite. Anyway, how did the exam go?"

"I'm pretty sure I've done well." Gabby said in a sigh as she changed her shirt.

"Well don't bowl me over with enthusiasm." She replied sarcastically. "I thought you'd be over the moon! You're finally free!"

"I guess I just wanted to spend the day with Dom, you know?" Gabby stated. "I know I haven't spent a whole lot of time with him recently because I've been concentrating on my exams. I guess I just really wanted to make up for lost time."

"Hey, you've got all summer to spend time with him." Lily reminded her. "Dom understands, he's thrilled to be taking you to the Prom tonight, he hasn't shut up about it all week."

"I know, I just kind of missed him." Gabby responded.

"Well I'm sure Dom will be only too happy to make up for lost time." Lily replied as she fished David out of his crib. He squirmed excitedly as she held him. "I guess someone really wants to be fed...oh...and changed by the smell of it."

"OK, I think that's my cue to leave." Gabby laughed. "RJ's going to be tearing his hair out if I keep him waiting any longer."

Lily watched her go as she prepared a changing mat for David. She couldn't help wondering what Dominic had in mind, he had told her that he had something really special planned for Gabby at the Prom, and had been working every shift he could for weeks to get money together. Whatever he had planned, she was sure it was good.

Later that night, Gabby was busy getting ready for the Prom when her mother came into the room.

"Dom's a lucky guy." She complimented her, gesturing to her dress. "I like it."

She was wearing a long, off-the-shoulder pink gown. It had cost her quite a bit of the money she had earned across the year to pay for it, but she was sure it was worth it. She probably would have given it a miss if Dom had elected not to take her, she still wasn't that close to anyone at the school. Of course now she was looking forward to spending the night with Dom.

"Thanks mom." Gabby replied. "I can't believe it's really all over."

"I remember my Prom." Deborah responded, taking a seat on the bed with her daughter. "It was an amazing night. It was like all those years were all finally worth it."

"I know what you mean." Gabby replied. "I can't wait until I start college."

"Just take it one step at a time." Her mother told her. "Don't forget to enjoy the summer."

"Gabby, Dominic's here!" Her father called up from the hall.

"I'm just coming." Gabby called back.

"I'm proud of you, you know that don't you?" Deborah told her. Gabby nodded.

"I know mom." She whispered.

"You look beautiful." Deborah stated. "Dom's a lucky guy."

Gabby hugged her mother warmly, before getting up off the bed and making her way down the stairs. She found Dominic on the landing, pacing nervously and fidgeting in his rented tux. He looked up the stairs to see her coming down, and his mouth hung open in disbelief. She had never looked more beautiful to him than at that moment. As she arrived at the foot of the stairs, he still couldn't say anything.

"I think he likes your dress." Her dad commented, seeing the dumbstruck look on his face. "Here, you can take the Bentley for the night."

"Thanks dad." Gabby replied, accepting the key from him.

"Have a good time honey." Her dad stated, leaning in and kissing her cheek.

"I'll make sure she does." Dominic assured him, putting an arm around her. "Thanks for the loan of the car."

"I wasn't using it tonight anyway." He said, waving him off. "Just have a good time."

They said their goodbyes and left the house, heading to the car. Gabby's father hugged his wife warmly as they watched them go.

"I hope it goes well for him." Deborah stated. "Dom's a great guy, he's been really good for Gabby."

"He was so nervous tonight." He replied. "I remember how nervous I was when I asked you to marry me."

"You were so nervous it took you almost a full bottle of wine to get the words out." She laughed at the memory. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"I really hope so." He replied. "She deserves someone like him."

Meanwhile, Michelle knocked on the door of Flit's apartment as she arrived. He opened the door, seeing her there in her workout gear.

"So why did I need to come here in my workout gear?" She asked him.

"I was going to work on some meditation and massage with you." He told her. "If you're going to understand the body, it's best to start with your own."

"I guess I can see the logic in that." She replied. "So are we going to start?"

"I've cleared some room in the living room." He told her. "Head in and get warmed up. I'll be through in a second."

He made his way to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of water from his fridge, and turned back, finding her stretching off in the living room. Her tight, Lycra workout clothing did nothing to conceal her figure. She wasn't as toned and muscular as her sister, but she was not unhealthy by any means. She was in good health and clearly took care of herself, though not as obsessively as Susan, given the difference in their lifestyles.

He became distracted for a moment as she leant over to touch her toes, stretching out her spine. He shook his head to bring himself back to the present and came into the room, laying out a meditation mat and sitting in the lotus position before her.

"Join me." He instructed her. Michelle sat down with him, copying his actions. He pulled out a lighter, lighting up a couple of scented candles. "Clear your mind."

"Yoga?" She asked him. "I thought this was about healing."

"The big mistake a lot of people make is to think that the heart, mind, spirit and body are separate entities." He replied, smiling at her. "The life energy runs through all of those. Ignoring even one of them is to deny a part of oneself."

Michelle nodded in understanding and closed her eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. The warm, orange glow of the candles reflecting off her pale flesh gave her a spiritual quality that he couldn't explain. He smiled as he finally realised that he had made the right choice with her. Despite her initial reluctance, and her faith in medical science, she was so receptive to the idea of his teachings that he could see what she was. She was the true embodiment of a healer. It was so rare to find someone in these secular times. People were not as receptive to the ethereal or spiritual elements of healing any more, but Michelle trusted him without question. He had found an amazing student in her.

"Now, clear your mind and just concentrate on breathing." He instructed her. "Follow my voice, and when we're ready, I'll take you through a few basic acupressure points."

Michelle never responded. She was lost in the exercise, finding herself immersed in a new state of mind. He could see a tremendous difference in her already. She was totally dedicated to her craft. He knew that this was the point in her training that he would hate. This was the point he needed to help her heal herself, even if she had been running from it for so long.

"You are a healer, but in order to heal, you must do so from an even and unhindered mind." He told her. "You didn't become a healer to heal others."

"Excuse me?" She asked him, though her eyes never opened. The effects of the exercise had already taken effect.

"You became a healer out of guilt." He told her. "You felt guilty about the fact you couldn't help your father."

Her eyes never opened, but a single tear leaked down her face.

"I was too young." She told him. "I was only a teenager when he died."

"Your mind tells you that." Flit told her. "But like I already said, the mind is not a separate entity. Do you believe that in your heart? In your spirit?"

She never answered, but a small whimper escaped her lips. The hypnotic effects of the candles and his voice had the desired effect, leaving her in a receptive state to this essential stage in her training.

"You were too young." He told her. "You were not trained as a healer, and you were not near him when he died. You could not have saved him."

"I was the oldest." She whispered, her lips trembling. "It was my responsibility. I should have been there..."

"It wasn't your fault." He said reassuringly. "You were a child. You had no control over his actions or his treatment. You couldn't have saved him."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked him tearfully. "Why are you saying this to me?"

"Because if you are to heal others, the first one you must heal is yourself." He told her. "Your father's death was his fault. He knew the risks when he went into that building. He knew what could happen when he took off his breathing apparatus and put it on that girl and he took the decision anyway. He traded his life for hers. That was his choice. In his own way, he was a healer too."

"I've never stopped being proud of him." Michelle told him, her eyes jerking open. "I miss him so much."

"You always will." He told her, reaching out his arms. She leant forward, wrapping her arms around him and wept into his shoulder. "His spirit lives on. It lives on in Susan's stubborn nature. It lives on in Casey's selfless courage, and it lives on in your will to help others."

He cupped her cheek with his hand, and looked deeply into her eyes.

"These are the gifts he left this world." He told her. "That is how he will live forever."

"Thank you." She whispered, wiping her eyes with her wrist. "I've carried this for so long..."

"You've carried it for too long." Flit told her. "Now, if you want to call it quits for tonight I'll understand..."

"No." She replied. "You told me you'd take me through some massage and acupressure."

"Are you sure?" He asked her. "Do you really want to do this for your dad?"

"No." She replied. "I want to do it for me."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." He told her. "Now, lie on your stomach."

She did as she was told, and Flit began rubbing her shoulders, finding the right locations for her energy centres. He felt himself sweating a little as he did this. Those candles seemed so much hotter than they normally did.

The Prom went alarmingly quickly for Gabby. Sitting with Dom, she couldn't notice as the hours ticked by. The Principal called the hall to attention as the music stopped.

"I just wanted to draw your attention to the end of another amazing year." He announced as the students cheered. "All that remains is for us to announce the Prom king and queen. To do that, I'd like to call up to the stage the captain of this year's hockey team, Barry!"

Everyone applauded except for Gabby and Dom. They could still recall his shameful behaviour at the championship game. While the others were partisan enough to side with him over Mark's "defection" to Blue Bay Harbour, they were Mark's friends and were standing by him.

Barry swayed and staggered a little as he made his way onto the stage. He was clearly hammered, and given the fact he was carrying a glass, they were sure he had been drinking. He sauntered up to the microphone and took it off the stand.

"I'd like to be addressing you as the captain of the championship team, but I think we all know why that never happened." He joked, raising a laugh from the audience. "Anyway, I wanted to announce the Prom King and Queen. This year, the votes came in for Prom King, and it's me!"

There was an applause from the audience, but Dom just put an arm around Gabby. This was all a popularity thing, and they knew it. Barry no more deserved to be crowned Prom King than he deserved to be elected president of the world.

"And the votes for Prom Queen are in, and...well this is interesting..." He said, a smirk crossing his face. "Mark Klinski!"

There was a laugh and an applause from the audience, and gabby looked decidedly uncomfortable. Mark was her friend, she hated the thought of people making fun of him and attacking him like this, especially when he wasn't there to defend himself. She gestured to Dom that she wanted to leave, but he shook his head. He wasn't going to let this stand. He made his way to the stage, leaping onto it nimbly. He wrenched the microphone from his hand.

"OK, I think that's enough of the lame jokes." Dominic announced, looking Barry up and down. "After all, why should we listen to a loser?" He turned back to the audience and gestured to Gabby.

"I just wanted to have a nice evening with the woman I love, and you come along with your prejudice and ruin it? Sorry pal, it's not going to happen!"

He leapt off the stage and came over to Gabby, taking one of her hands in his.

"I had actually arranged a little musical number with the band, but I think that you'd rather just get out of here." He announced over the microphone. "So I guess I'll have to ask you now."

He got down onto one knee, pulling a small box from his pocket. Gabby's eyes opened wide in amazement. She now regretted her request for garlic bread at the restaurant.

"Gabby, I love you more than I can ever express. But I promise I will never stop spending every day from now on trying." He told her. "Will you marry me?"

Gabby couldn't stop her tears. She was too shocked to do anything but cry. She grabbed the microphone and found herself only able to say one word.

"Yes!" She called out passionately. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"


	62. Michelle's Lessons

The following day, Flit woke up in his apartment, and pulled himself out of bed, making his way into the shower. He hadn't really slept well the previous night. Part of that was down to feeling guilty about making Michelle face up to how much her father's death had affected her life without her realising it. He knew she needed to face up to that in order to heal her heart properly and allow her to move on with her life and their lessons unhindered, but that didn't make it easy on her being forced to face it.

He still felt guilty, and he still got imaged of her in his mind with tears in her eyes, finally releasing years of hurt that she had kept inside. He felt badly for her, but he had been impressed with her resolve and how she had agreed to continue with the lesson.

He had expected this difficult experience to challenge her ability to carry on, and possibly even ruin any chance they had of being friends, but she had been remarkably mature and strong in her attitude. She had been able to see through any resentment she might have for him for inflicting that pain on her and realise he was doing it to help her. Being a doctor, she had a greater understanding of the fact that sometimes it was in a patient's best interests to feel a little pain in the course of treatments that would eventually improve their quality of life.

He began running the water and stepped into the shower, shivering a little as cold water washed over him. The images of her being upset by his lesson the night before hadn't been the only problem he had become aware of last night. He realised that there was another potential hiccup in their training.

He still got images of the massage he had taught her that night. The feeling of her soft, warm, smooth flesh had caused him to feel more than a little uncomfortable. He had noticed that she was an attractive woman, but it hadn't crossed his mind that he was becoming attracted to her.

His initial excitement over having a student to share his knowledge with had been what brought them together. She had an amazing and intelligent mind, with virtually limitless potential to learn his craft. The thought of combining his knowledge with her professional training had intrigued him. Over time though, he started to notice a lot more things about her that interested him.

She had a genuinely warm and caring spirit, and a reassuring smile that was as effective as any of his treatments in easing any fears or doubts her patients had. She had the skilled and gentle touch of her surgical training. Her hands were delicate, gentle and warm in their touch.

He had let his mind get the better of him, and gotten involved too deeply with her. He had told her himself that the mind, spirit, heart and body were all connected. He had ignored his heart and his spirit when he was analysing all the reasons to train her in his ways. His feelings for her had changed and he found he was looking at her differently. He had crossed the line, how could he continue with her lessons now? He turned the shower down another notch as he remembered her in her training clothes. Tonight's massage tutorial would definitely be a bad idea. Maybe he would have her help him brew some potions instead.

Meanwhile, Susan was setting up the Rock Porium when Michelle came into the store. She didn't notice her twin sister coming in as she stocked some shelves, happily humming away to herself.

"You seem to be in a good mood." Michelle greeted her. "Would it have anything to do with a certain tall, dark and handsome Lion Master?"

"Jarrod and I are getting along great." Susan replied with a laugh as she realised Michelle was there. "We're getting along...really well."

"Something happened, didn't it?" Michelle asked her. Susan blushed a little, thinking about their night together in the temple a couple of days previously. She hadn't been able to stop smiling since she had been able to overcome her fears about the relationship and take the next step.

"We...spent the night together." She told her.

"Well I know that all sent you into a bit of a tail spin before." Michelle replied. "I'm glad to hear things are going better."

"It's not just that." Susan told her. She took a deep breath and prepared to tell her the news. "I asked Jarrod if we could give our engagement another go. He said yes."

"You proposed to Jarrod?" Michelle asked her. "Well I guess you always did take the untraditional route! Well, seriously are you sure about this?"

"I am, it's something I can't really explain." Susan responded. "I've always felt like there was a huge connection between us, ever since we started all this. That's why the pregnancy thing threw me for a loop; I really wanted to be sure I would be doing the right thing by choosing him."

"Well anyone that'll let you perform surgery on them with a pen knife and no anaesthetic has to be worth sticking with." Michelle chuckled, as she put an arm around her sister. "I saw his scar when he was working out with Casey the other day. Trust me; you don't have a career as a surgeon."

"Well I didn't exactly get seven years to train like you did before I had to pull a claw out of him." Susan replied. "I really want to be with him."

"Well I think that's pretty obvious." Michelle said with a huge grin on her face. "You're so lucky to have a guy like him."

"Well I'm sure the right guy's out there for you somewhere sis." Susan told her. "You just don't put yourself out there enough. You're so focused on your career; you need to lighten up a bit."

"I just spend so much time at the hospital." Michelle replied. "It's a smaller town here, so I'm hoping I won't be quite as busy when I start at Ocean Bluff Hospital."

"Are you kidding?" Susan asked her jokingly. "The way our friends are, you'll have a full time job just fixing them up."

"They only go to the hospital if something serious happens." She told her. "Anything RJ can't handle they go to Flit for."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about him." Susan said with a slightly teasing tone in her voice. "I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with him."

"Don't start!" Michelle warned her. "He's been teaching me some of his healing methods."

"I guess that's as good an excuse as any." Susan responded. "You've never shown any interest in alternative medicine before."

"I kind of thought it was all smoke and mirrors, but Flit's really opened my eyes." She stated defensively. "He's done some things that really impressed me. He made some weird kind of tea that made everyone at Dr. Wallace's meeting start rattling off all their deepest secrets."

"He does like his potions." Susan agreed.

"He fixed my arm." She informed her sister. "You know I spent years going to specialists..."

"Michelle, most of the damage was down to atrophy..."

"No, it wasn't." Michelle told her. "Flit explained it all; the doctors just didn't know what else to do, so they told me it wouldn't heal. He fixed it."

"Wow, the others said he was good." Susan commented, thinking about what Michelle had said. She remembered how long Michelle had been having problems with her arm since it had been broken. "So what kind of stuff's he been teaching you?"

"I can't really explain it; he's kind of teaching me everything about myself, at the same time as he's teaching me about others." She told her sister, taking a seat.

"It sounds like you're enjoying this." Susan continued with her questioning.

"It's not like anything I've ever done before!" Michelle said excitedly, thinking about her lessons. "I've never been this enthusiastic about learning anything...!"

"Are you sure it's just the lessons making you feel like this?" Susan asked her. "Are you sure it isn't more to do with the teacher?"

"Would you quit trying to set me up with Flit?" Michelle complained. "Seriously, he's only..."

"The most amazing teacher you've ever had?" Susan mocked her, coming over to the counter with her. "Teaching you things you'd never dreamed of..."

"I should have known I couldn't talk to you about this stuff." Michelle grumbled.

"OK, I'll take it seriously." Susan laughed, realising she was getting close to pushing her sister too far. "So what was it like last night?"

"It's kind of hard to explain." She told her sister. "He lit some weird candles and we meditated for a while. We talked about dad for a while."

"You talked about dad?" Susan asked her. She looked at her a little curiously. "Michelle, you've barely talked to anyone about dad..."

"It was part of the process." She interrupted her. "Something about it, the setting, the candles..."

"The teacher?" Susan asked her. Michelle gave her a slightly withering look, causing her to hold her hands up defensively.

"It was an amazing experience." She continued with the explanation. "I've never felt anything like it. It was emotional...I let go and I just...cried."

"He made you cry?" Susan quizzed her. "And you enjoyed that?"

"Like I said, I just can't explain it properly...it was like I needed to cry...it felt good to let it go." She said, smiling as she remembered it. "Then he gave me a massage. It was such an amazing experience. By the time we'd finished I felt amazing. I haven't felt that good since...maybe ever."

"It sounds pretty intense." Susan stated, grabbing her sister's hand. "And you're still going to try and tell me you don't like Flit?"

"You never give up, do you?" Michelle laughed, shoving her a little.

"It's why I was such a good cop." Susan replied. "Come on, you can at least admit that he's not bad looking."

"OK, he isn't that bad looking." Michelle admitted. "I don't know, he's kind of impressive in his own way. I just don't know if I think about him like that."

"Well you've been spending all morning raving about his lesson last night." Susan reminded her. "And you didn't exactly tell me a whole lot about what you learned."

"What do you mean by that?" Michelle asked her in response.

"You spent the whole time telling me how you felt." Susan told her, tapping her shoulder gently and leaving her sister to head into the back.

"You know you are SO irritating when you do that!" Michelle shouted after her. She had to admit one thing though, she had a point. She hadn't been talking much about what she learned last night.

Flit made his way into JKP, finding Fran working at the counter, cleaning down the surfaces in time for the lunch rush.

"Hey Fran, how are you?" He asked her. She sighed a little.

"I'm alright, I just feel a little sluggish." She answered. "I'm taking everything the doctor's ordered me to do, but I feel really run down."

"You are pregnant remember." He told her. "If it doesn't pass, swing by the flat. I'll see if there's something I can do about it."

"No offence Flit, but this isn't like battle injuries." She replied.

"Fran, the healers handled everything at the temple." He told her. "People did have children there. RJ was born there. Speaking of RJ actually, is he around?"

"He's upstairs." Fran told him. "Thanks for the offer Flit; I might just take you up on that."

"No problem." He responded. He made his way upstairs, finding RJ walking around the apartment with David strapped to his chest in his papoose sleeping happily while RJ was scribbling on a pad some ideas for menu changes.

"Flit, I bought some jars of baby food to try, you know so I know what ones to get for David when we start weaning him, and some of them taste great!" He said excitedly. His eyes were wide with inspiration. Flit caught a look at the table and saw the problem. He hadn't been joking when he said he had been trying out jars of baby food. There were empty jars all over the table. Obviously RJ had gone a little overboard and was on a major sugar high. "Tell me what do you think of apple sauce and peach?"

"It sounds like something only you'd do." He chuckled, partly at reference to the strange recipe, and partly at the idea he had spent the whole morning eating jars of baby food. "Listen, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure man." He replied, gesturing to the couch. Flit sat down, breathing a sigh as RJ joined him. "What's going on?"

"You know I said I had taken on Michelle as a student right?" Flit began. RJ nodded in response. "Well, I'm starting to think it might not have been such a great idea."

"What's wrong?" RJ asked him. "Is everything alright? Is she a good student?"

"Yeah, she is, she's a great student." He answered. "I couldn't wish for anyone better. She's attentive, she's smart, and she picks things up so quickly. I don't think I could ask for a better student."

"So what's the problem?" He inquired, a little curious about where this was going.

"The problem is me." Flit told him. "I don't think I'm the right person to teach her. I don't know if I can train her anymore."

"Flit, you're an amazing healer." He replied abruptly. "It would take me months to teach her what I know, and by comparison to you, what I know would fit on a postage stamp."

"It's not that RJ, I know there's a lot that I can teach her." He continued. "I want to teach her, I doubt I could find another apprentice like her..."

"What's the problem then?" He interrupted Flit. He held his head in his hands and breathed a sigh.

"I've crossed the line RJ." Flit told him. "We got involved in a really emotional moment. I led her in a deep meditation exercise to bring out her emotional pain so that she could deal with it. It was a pretty intense experience."

"Did she not take it well?" RJ asked him. "I know these things can take a lot out of you. When I did my training, I remember being taken on one of those meditation exercises. I didn't talk to my tutor for ages."

"Actually Michelle thanked me for it." Flit told him. "She handled it really well. She really impressed me with how strong she is."

"So what's the problem?" He asked.

"RJ, the thing is, she impressed me too much." Flit said as he stroked his neck nervously. "I've...been thinking about her a lot."

RJ smiled at him and laughed.

"You're kidding right?" He replied. "That's your problem? You like her?"

"RJ, I'm meant to be her teacher." Flit reminded him. "I'm meant to guide her and instruct her..."

"You can't do that now?" He asked his friend. "Look, the reason for the no teachers and students rule in schools is because of the age of the students and the fact the teacher's in a position of trust. Michelle's a grown woman!"

"But..."

"Flit; seriously, you're a great instructor." RJ assured him. "You can keep things professional in your lessons. You won't cross the line with her."

"Well it's not going to make things any easier for me." He sighed.

"You know there is one thing that could make this easier." RJ commented. "You could always talk to her about it."

"RJ, seriously what good's that going to do?" Flit asked him. "I mean, it's not like she couldn't have anyone she wanted. What would she want me for?"

"Well, that's an interesting technique you have there." RJ teased him. "Skip asking her out and jump straight to defeat and feeling sorry for yourself."

"RJ, I'm serious." Flit told him.

"So am I Flit." RJ answered seriously. "If you talk to her, she might not be interested. At least then you'll know. Of course she might say yes."

"Do you really think that could work?" Flit asked him. RJ just laughed.

"You do realise my son has been strapped to my chest the whole time right?" RJ asked him. "Lily was my student when we got together. Look at us now. Who would ever have thought our decision could have led to this little guy."

"Thanks RJ." Flit responded. "I guess I should have thought about it like that."

"Hey, just give it a try man." RJ told him. "You never know, it might work out."

Flit got up and left the room. As he did so, he dialled his cell phone. He heard it ringing on the other end.

"Hello?" Michelle answered. "Flit?"

"Hi, ummm...I was wondering if you'd like to come for another lesson tonight." He told her.

"I was due there at 6 if you remember." Michelle reminded him. "Did you forget?"

"I guess I kind of did." Flit replied. "Sorry."

"It's no big deal." Michelle replied, gathering her belongings as she prepared to leave her apartment. "Do you want me to bring some dinner?"

"I guess we could have something to eat before we start." He answered. "I'll be there."

"Of course you will, it's your apartment." She reminded him. "Any preferences? Sushi? Mexican?"

"Surprise me." Flit replied, hanging up the phone. He made his way towards his apartment at a slightly faster pace than usual. He still wasn't sure about the wisdom of this plan. What chances did he really have with her?


	63. The Importance of Jewellery

Gabby came into JKP for her shift, still unable to contain her excitement, despite it now being almost three days since Dom had proposed to her. She bounced into the kitchen, hanging up her jacket and reaching for an apron. She stopped for a second after tying it on, taking a second to admire her ring. It still felt good on her finger. She had a constant reminder of the Rhino Master with her now, and to her it was a beautiful little thing.

He had blown a considerable amount of his money between the tux he had rented for her Prom and the ring. It was a beautiful, elegant little solitaire. It wasn't much as a ring, but she knew what Dom would have done to get it, and how much it meant to him to give it to her. Nothing could have meant more to her. A slightly damp dish cloth hit her on the back of the head, drawing her attention and causing her to turn around. Fran was there, waving a hand.

"Earth to Gabby! I said hi." Fran told her. In her daydreaming, Gabby hadn't even noticed she was there.

"Sorry Fran, I was miles away." Gabby told her, coming over to the preparation area and hugging her. "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach feels a little unsettled, but the doctor assures me that it's natural." Fran answered her as she continued to work over some dough for the evening service. "Still, Flit told me he would take a look at me, that and Lily brought David down for a little while."

"That always makes you feel better." Gabby giggled as she opened the fridge to check on their stock of cheese. Fran had always been a little clucky around babies. She always took every opportunity to play with the kids, and since she had found out she was pregnant, the others had been only too happy to let her have more time with their children. She enjoyed playing with Jack and Stephanie, and looking after David and Holly was a great education for her. "So is Dom here yet?"

"He's just out getting some groceries." Fran answered her. "RJ was running low on...wait a minute; let me see your hand!"

Fran grabbed her wrist with slightly too much force, wrenching Gabby a little painfully over the counter as she inspected her left hand. She started bouncing excitedly as she confirmed that she had seen Gabby wearing an engagement ring.

"You're kidding! Dom proposed?" She shrieked. She launched herself across the counter, holding her in a painfully tight hug. "Gabby, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, we haven't gotten round to telling anyone yet." Gabby replied, stroking her wrist, and somewhat hoping that Fran's enthusiasm wouldn't lead to any bruising. "He asked me at the Prom and I said yes."

"Have you set a date yet?" Fran asked her. "Well, I guess that's a bit of a dumb question, I mean if you haven't told anyone then I doubt you've looked at getting a marriage licence..."

"Fran..."

"Or taking a blood test..."

"Fran..."

"Or figuring out who you want to go..."

"Breathe Fran!" Gabby laughed. She was excited too, though it was always funny to see how excitable Fran could get in these situations. "No, we haven't set a date yet. We just went to tell my parents. We were planning to tell all of you soon."

"Well I couldn't be happier for you." Fran told her. "Dom's a great guy."

"He really is." Gabby agreed. "He said he's fine to wait for me. He really wants me to go to college and concentrate on that first. He doesn't want to rush me into anything."

"Well I'm pleased you're happy." Fran assured her. "I'm sure you'll be very happy together."

"A little help here!" Dom called from the door, struggling with a couple of crates of groceries.

"I'm coming." Gabby called back, running to his aid and taking one of the crates from him. Fran just smiled as she watched them together. It made her slight nausea melt away to see them so happy together. They deserved to be happy with each other.

Meanwhile, Michelle arrived at Flit's apartment, carrying a couple of large take away bags with her. She smiled as he answered the door.

"I went for Mexican." She told him, holding up one of the bags. "I hope you like burritos."

"Are you kidding? I could live off them." He replied, taking the bags from her and showing her inside. She sat on the floor, crossing her legs as he looked out some plates.

"So what's the lesson for today?" She asked him. "More massage?"

Flit winced a little in the kitchen as he heard her say that. Given the feelings beginning to build in him for his student, he was finding the idea of something as intimate as a massage a little uncomfortable to think about. He remembered his talk with RJ, and knowing that there was only one way he could really get over this. He needed to tell her how he felt to clear the air. Other than that, there was no way their massage lessons could continue. He had already resigned himself to the fact that he would have to focus on other areas of her education in the meantime.

"No massage tonight." He called through as he gathered the plates and brought through the takeaway. Michelle wasn't really looking at him as he came in. She let her hair fall into her face a little. "I was thinking of maybe some potions."

"I'm not sure, I feel like I was making a lot of progress with what we were learning about energy centres." She replied with a small smile. She hoped that she wasn't giving away her disappointment. Flit sat opposite her and set out the plates. "Are you sure we can't learn more about that?"

Flit thought about it for a minute as he began portioning out some of the burritos. He didn't want to put himself back in the situation he had been in the night before. Looking at her face, he could see a little look in her eyes that showed that she was serious about this lesson. He couldn't disappoint her.

"I'll be back in a second." He told her, making his way from the room. Michelle took a mouthful of her burrito as she waited. A second later, he came back, wearing a bracelet on his left wrist. It seemed to be made of bamboo and bone, with a few small black stones inlaid in it. It was tied in place with a little lacing on the inside of his wrist. "We'll begin after our meal."

"What's that?" She asked him, gesturing to the bracelet. Flit couldn't help a small laugh. Michelle's curiosity couldn't even be curtailed long enough to eat a meal. She was so eager to learn. He held out his wrist, and pulled out a needle from it. Michelle realised that the bamboo portions of it were in fact small, fine tubes to house these needles.

"I was given this by one of my tutors a long time ago." He informed her. "Acupuncture is a great tool for healing. It's one of the many sciences which revolves around manipulation of the energy centres."

"You want to teach me acupuncture?" She asked him with a smile.

"It would take me years to teach you the full range of acupuncture." He told her. "Today, I'd like to start with your hand."

"So when do we start?" She asked excitedly.

"We'll begin as soon as we've eaten." He responded. "Don't let it get cold."

Michelle just continued eating, though she found herself hurrying her meal a little. Looking over at flit as he ate, she wished he would hurry up. She could barely contain her excitement at the thought of the lesson to come.

The night wore on at JKP, with Fran and Dom tending to the guests out the front of the restaurant while Gabby tended to the cooking. Fran came into the kitchen, carrying some dishes.

"The dishwasher's broken." Gabby informed her. "RJ's calling the repair guy, put them in the sink for now."

Fran dropped the dishes into the hot, soapy water and grabbed a stool, taking the first chance of the night to take the weight off her feet. She breathed a large, exhausted sigh and rested her head on her folded arms on the counter.

"I take it you've had a rough night." Gabby stated, seeing Fran's reaction. Fran looked up with a weary look in her eyes and nodded.

"I really hate double shifts." She grumbled. "I can't wait to go home. I feel like I could sleep for a month."

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Gabby said sympathetically, placing a hand on Fran's arm gently. Fran's head jerked up as she did this.

"Gabby, where's your ring?" She asked her. Gabby looked at her hand in horror as she realised that it was missing.

"It felt a bit loose." She said in a panic. "It must have fallen off!"

"Can I get a hand out here?" Dom called through from the dining room. "A big group just walked in and I need help."

"I'm coming!" Fran yelled in reply.

"What the hell am I going to do?" Gabby asked Fran in her fright. "If Dom finds out…"

"Don't let him find out!" Fran responded. "I'll keep him distracted out the front, you start looking for that ring!"

Fran barrelled out the door to help Dominic while Gabby ran a hand through her hair and looked around the kitchen for inspiration. She didn't know when she had lost it, it could be anywhere. She plunged her hands into a bowl of grated cheese and started rifling through it in search of the ring, all the while hoping it hadn't ended up in someone's pizza.

Back at Flit's apartment, he had just finished clearing away the dishes. He came back into the room just as she cleared a space on the floor for their lesson. Michelle was just moving one of his pot plants as he placed entered the room.

"OK, let's start." He chirped as casually as he could. Michelle dropped the plant, spilling a little soil as he did this. She hadn't been concentrating; she had been too busy thinking about Flit and the way he made her feel whenever he was teaching her. She almost jumped out of her skin as he startled her.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" She shrieked, quickly righting the pot and shovelling as much of the soil back into it as she could. "You startled me, I didn't mean it."

"It's ok, that one's fine." He told her, coming to her side and helping her pack it back into the pot, packing the roots down. Michelle bit her lip as he knelt close to her, feeling his body close to hers. She felt herself getting a little warm, and hoped he didn't see her cheeks going a little red.

She cursed her sister in her head for this. Susan had seen right through her, even when she hadn't seen it herself. It was so obvious to her now that she was more than just impressed by him, she liked him. She had been working so much at the hospital back in San Francisco, it had been a long time before she'd thought of a man in that way. Now of course she was grateful that they weren't doing massage tonight. How could she concentrate on what she was doing now?

"I...uh...just need to wash my hands." She stammered, heading into the bathroom. "Sorry about the carpet."

"It's no problem." He replied, breathing a little sigh of relief. It had been a little uncomfortable getting so close to her like that. "I'll go and clean up too, and then we'll start."

He went into the kitchen and ran the tap, rinsing off his hands. He muttered to himself cursing his luck for getting himself into this situation. Someone up there had to be having a great laugh at his expense.

RJ came downstairs to find the kitchen a disaster zone as Gabby threw pots, pans and ingredients around in her frantic search for the ring.

"Gabby, what the hell you doing?" He gasped, seeing the state of the kitchen. "This place looks worse than the time Lily and Casey had a food fight!"

"I'm really sorry RJ." She replied as she got off the floor, where she was checking under the counters. "I'm really sorry, I'll clean up, I promise. I was looking for something..."

"Never mind, just...clean it up." He groaned as he crossed over to the sink. "I'll just refresh the water in here and make a start on the dishes."

He pulled the plug, letting the water out. It was as the last of the water ran down the drain that she heard a slight rattle. Looking over the edge, she was just in time to see a little glint as the unmistakable shape of her engagement ring went down the drain.

"My ring!" She shrieked, launching herself at the drain, though being just a little too slow to catch it. "That was my engagement ring! If Dom finds out I lost it he'll be devastated!"

RJ looked at her a little shocked as she told him this. He hadn't heard yet that they had gotten engaged, but he had known Dom long enough to know how sensitive he could be. He knew that she was right and he'd be extremely upset if she had lost the ring. Dom came into the kitchen at that point. Thinking quickly, RJ dumped some pizza sauce over Gabby's arm and hand. She was about to protest, until she realised that he had covered her left hand. Dom wouldn't see that she wasn't wearing the ring.

"What's going on?" Dom asked, seeing not only the state of the kitchen, but Gabby. She was covered in just about every ingredient in the kitchen.

"We never did initiate Gabby properly." He reminded Dom. "She missed out on the traditional JKP food fight."

"Oh, right, so she did." Dom responded. "The last customers just left."

"Well if you wouldn't mind closing up out there and ask Fran to do the cashing up, I'll be through shortly."

Dom shook his head and left the kitchen. Gabby looked at RJ, with a little fear still in her eyes.

"What are we going to do?" She shrieked. "The ring went down the drain!"

"It's fine; fortunately I learned a little plumbing in my first year." RJ told her. He knelt down by the sink and unscrewed the trap, pulling it off. He poured the disgusting contents of the u-shaped piece of pipe onto the floor, figuring it wouldn't exactly make much difference by this point, and rummaged through them with his fingers, picking out her ring. "You wouldn't believe what can get stuck in there."

"Thank you!" She shrieked, throwing her arms around his neck enthusiastically and kissing his cheek repeatedly, before taking the ring off him. RJ laughed as he replaced the trap.

"It's OK; I wouldn't want to stand in the way of young love." He chuckled as he took the ring off her and rinsed it off. He handed it back to her. "I would consider getting it re-sized though. It seems to be a little loose."

"After this I'm considering getting it welded on!" She joked. "I'm really sorry about the kitchen."

"It's no problem. I understand." He responded, holding up his hand, showing her his wedding ring. "I know I'd be in bits if I lost this. Anyway, let's get this place cleaned up."

"I'll do it if you want." Gabby told him. "I did make the mess after all."

"Well as far as Dom knows I'm half to blame." He replied, beginning to pick up some food from the floor. "I wouldn't want you to have to explain why you're doing this alone."

"I can see why Lily fell for you." Gabby responded, helping him. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He told her. "Just remember this when I need a weekend shift covered."

Back at Flit's apartment, Flit and Michelle had been going through their lesson for a while. Flit was holding her left hand gently, and had inserted around half a dozen needles into it. It amazed Michelle how it felt. The needles never hurt when they were inserted, and she could barely feel them in her hand. They were far too fine.

"Those are some of the key points to Manipulate in the hand." He informed her as he grabbed one of the needles and gently removed it. She could feel them coming out, but not in any kind of painful way. It just felt strange. She could almost feel the flow of energy within her changing. After removing the last needle and placing it into antiseptic, he pushed a box of needles towards her and held out his hand. "Now it's your turn."

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "I mean massage is one thing..."

"I trust you." He told her with a smile. He felt her hand cradling his as she took the first needle. "Remember, feel for the energy, and find the point."

She dragged the point across his skin gently, looking between his eyes and his hand. She stopped as she felt something she couldn't explain. Looking up, Flit said nothing, waiting for her to make the decision herself.

With a little trepidation, he twisted the needle in place a little, before giving the top a gentle tap, sinking it into his flesh.

"You did that perfectly." He informed her. "You should be proud of yourself."

"I did it?" She asked him, clearly a little pleased with herself.

"You have a great feel for this." He told her. "Now, just five more to go, and then we'll call it a night."

Michelle reached for another needle, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand. Flit had explained everything to her, and while she was aware he would be able to undo any harm she inflicted on him long before it became an issue, she still hated the thought of doing something wrong and harming him. She already knew how much trust he was placing in her to allow her to work on him like that. As she turned back to him, she adjusted her grip. She was still amazed by how soft and gentle his hands felt. She inserted the next needle to no reaction. By the time she inserted the last needle, Flit took her other hand in his.

"You have an excellent instinct for this." He told her. "I don't think there's ever been a student who's gone six for six on this on their first try."

"You really mean it?" She asked him, her cheeks flushing a little at the compliment. It made him feel good to see how happy she was.

"I really do." He replied. "Now, there's just one stage left."

"Oh, right." She responded as she took the first of the needles gently and pulled it out. She placed them in a dish of antiseptic as she pulled them out. She finished up, and started gathering her belongings. She couldn't deny feeling a little awkward. She was starting to feel a lot more than just an admiration for his skill. She watched him getting to his feet and replacing his needles into the bracelet on his wrist. "Um...I start my new job tomorrow."

"I forgot about that, good luck." Flit said as he came over to her. As he looked at her, he felt his chest tightening again, and his mouth felt dry. He took one of her hands in his. "Michelle..."

"Yes Flit?" She asked him, running her hand through her hair. She felt her temperature rising as he spoke to her. She was under no further doubt as to the fact she had feelings for him stronger than friendship. She was beginning to become nervous around him any time she had to be alone with him, and any time he touched her, she was finding it hard to concentrate.

He let out a sigh as he took off his bracelet, tying it onto her left wrist.

"I want you to have this." He said softly. "Call me when we can arrange another lesson."

Michelle grinned broadly as she looked at the gift. She leant in and hugged him, but was glad he couldn't see her face. She knew she'd be giving the game away. She released him.

"Thank you." She croaked a little nervously. "I'll call you soon. Thanks again, bye."

"Bye." Flit replied as she left. He closed the door behind her and rested his forehead against it, letting out a groan of frustration.

"I'm such a chicken." He muttered to himself. "Michelle, I like you. How hard is it to say that?"

Meanwhile, Michelle made her way back to her apartment; she looked at the bracelet and sighed, as she thought about him. She wanted to continue with her lessons, but things were going to be difficult if she was continuing to have these feelings for him. Of course she couldn't tell him, she was sure he wouldn't be able to take her seriously if she did. How could he? She felt like a schoolgirl who had a crush on her teacher. He was sure to turn her away.

"The next lesson's going to be fun." She muttered to herself.


	64. More to Learn

The next day, Michelle was woken up by the shrill chirp of her alarm clock. She always hated to get up early, but today was the first day of her new job in Ocean Bluff hospital.

She yawned as she got out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She'd had another night where she barely got any sleep. She still couldn't keep her mind off Flit. If she had been under any doubt before, last night had been dashed spectacularly. There was no way for her to deny it, she liked him.

She took a long shower, as she had every morning. Given her long shifts and non-existent social life back in San Francisco, it was one of her few genuine pleasures. She dried herself quickly before getting dressed.

As she finished getting ready, she noticed something on the dresser and smiled. It was the acupuncture bracelet he had given her the night before. She picked it up, running it through her fingers as she thought about him. It was a beautiful gift. Not only was it a practical gift that would help with her training, it was also a beautiful bracelet. She remembered the warm glow she felt rising in her when he took it off and tied it gently around her wrist.

Thinking about it briefly, she wrapped it around her wrist and laced it up. It felt good on her arm. It felt right to be wearing it to her first day of work, she felt like he had truly accepted her as his protégé. She sighed as she realised another thing about it. It was the closest she would become to Flit. She was happy to wear it. It was better to have this token of friendship than nothing at all.

Meanwhile, Fran arrived at Flit's apartment.

"You said you'd see me if I didn't feel any better." She reminded him. "I still feel kind of run down."

"Sure, come on in." He invited her, gesturing her inside. "You know where the living room is."

Fran went into the sitting room and took a seat on the sofa while Flit cleared a space on the floor. He knelt down in front of her and started examining her.

"You are looking a little paler than usual." He told her, checking over her carefully. "What did the doctor say?"

"He checked my iron count for anaemia." She told him. "He said he couldn't see anything wrong with me."

"How do you feel?" He asked her.

"I feel a little nauseous." She responded. "It's not like, every now and again I get sick like Camille and Lily did, it's just a kind of constant ill feeling. I've also been feeling really tired and run down."

"Well I don't think it's anything to do with your diet." He said reassuringly. "Your basic responses seem to be fine. I also doubt it's an infection, you don't seem to be having any other symptoms."

"So what's wrong with me?" She moaned, her shoulders slumping miserably. Flit smiled at her.

"Fran, you're pregnant. It takes a lot out of everyone." He said reassuringly, holding her hand warmly. "It just affects people differently. You're just worried about it because you saw how Lily and Camille were. It's natural to worry."

"So what am I meant to do?" She asked him. "Spend the next seven months feeling like this?"

"I think I can do something for you." He told her, getting off his knees and making his way to the kitchen. He flicked on the kettle and started to look a few herbs out of his cupboard.

"What are you making me?" She asked him.

"Fran, you've known me long enough to know I never give away my secrets." He responded. "If that's what you're worried about, there's no cannabis in this particular mix. It's a basic panacea to even out the nausea, with just a little kick for energy."

"RJ tells me you've been teaching Michelle." She replied as she waited patiently for him to finish.

"That's different." He said a little too sharply. He thought for a second about what to say next. It was bad enough that he was having these feelings for his new student. The last thing he needed was for Fran to find out. She had a habit of getting a little over-excited about things, and he didn't want her to say anything to Michelle just yet. Not when he knew that at some point the only way he could clear the air would be to tell her, even if it did mean losing her as a student. "She wants to learn the old ways."

Fran got a little smile on her face as she heard this. He was way too defensive about teaching Michelle. She had only commented that he normally didn't tell anyone what was in his potions. He also took way too long to come up with an explanation. She was sure he was hiding something.

"So how is she doing?" Fran asked him. "I heard she's really smart."

"She's doing great." He replied with a small smile as he finished mixing up the mixture with a petzel and mortar. "She picks things up really quickly, way more quickly than I did. I really think she could be great."

"I'll bet you do." Fran whispered to herself as he came back into the room, carrying a slam plastic bag containing the mixture, and a cup of tea brewed from it.

"Sorry, did you say something?" He asked her.

"No, I was just thinking about something." She replied. "I've applied to the local high school for a teaching position."

"They'll be lucky to have you." Flit responded, handing her the cup. "I know you've wanted this for a while, and I'm sure Theo's going to be happy when you leave JKP."

"He's started to get a little cranky about me working in the restaurant." Fran told him with a little laugh. "I think he'll be happy when I've got a nice comfortable desk to sit at instead of having to bus tables."

"Well to be fair, you'd probably have wanted to stop working at the restaurant in the next couple of months anyway." Flit responded. "With a teaching position you'll be able to work right up until you're ready to take maternity leave."

"The salary should help too." Fran agreed. "As much as I love the restaurant, it'll be good to get paid better."

"I'm sure it'll make things easier." Flit stated. "Anyway, how's the tea?"

"It's really good." Fran told him. "My stomach's feeling a little better."

"I'm glad to hear it." He replied, handing her the bag. "This bag should last you about a week; if you want any more, just ask."

"Thanks a lot Flit." Fran said, finishing off the cup and getting to her feet. "I swear I'd have gone crazy if I felt so rotten much longer."

"Well I'm glad I could help." He answered, showing her to the door. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I was just going to look out some books."

"More lessons for Michelle?" Fran asked him. Flit nodded.

"She's going to call me when she can get some time off work." He informed her. "I wanted to focus on potions. I thought lending her some books would help."

"I'm sure she'd like that." Fran replied, struggling to suppress a knowing grin. "Anyway, thanks again for the tea. Thanks Flit."

"No problem Fran." He told her. "I'll see you around."

"OK he is SO into her." She chuckled to herself as she made her way from his apartment. "He is so cute when he's nervous."

Later in the night, Michelle was just getting changed at the end of her shift when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" She called out as she pulled on her sweater. Dr. Wallace came into the office.

"I see you're settling in well." He commented. "I've heard more than one intern rave about the way you're treating them."

"Well I kind of wanted to be able to teach the interns something." She replied as she sorted out her hair. "I know I've been an attending for a while, but I really think this residency director position really suits me."

"Well I can already tell you're going to fit in here just fine." He complimented her, closing the door and sitting on her desk.

"Well I don't have to tell you that I won't miss the locker rooms." Michelle laughed as she gathered up her jacket. "This is the first time I've had an office to myself."

"Well you deserve it." He replied. "You did well today. So how are you planning to unwind after your first day?"

"I was planning on heading to JKP for some pizza." She told him. "You're welcome to come if you'd like."

"Sorry, but it's my anniversary tonight." He replied. "Lindsay has some steaks and a nice red waiting for me."

"That sounds great." She told him. "Happy anniversary, I'll see you tomorrow."

Fran arrived at JKP for her shift, seeing Gabby at the counter working through a Sudoku puzzle in the newspaper. It seemed that they had not been busy that afternoon.

"Hi Fran." She greeted her, putting the newspaper away. "You look a lot brighter today."

"I took Flit up on his offer to see him." Fran informed her. "He prepared me one of his potions. It really made me feel a lot better."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Gabby responded. "Anyway, Dom's coming in shortly, and RJ's just preparing some ingredients in the kitchen."

"Did you get the ring re-sized?" Fran asked her. Gabby smiled brightly and showed her hand to her, the ring back in its rightful place.

"I never want to go through that again." She replied honestly. "I was having kittens when I watched it go down the drain. Thank God RJ managed to get it back."

"So when are you and Dom going to make the announcement?" Fran asked her. "I mean, we still haven't had a chance to celebrate properly."

"I'm sure we'll get around to it soon." Gabby told her. "Things have just been kind of busy lately."

"I guess so." Fran replied. Just then Michelle walked in, looking around at the empty restaurant.

"Are you open?" She asked them. "I just came off shift and had a major craving for Italian sausage."

"Michelle, you know this place will never be closed to you." Fran reminded her.

"I'll just get started." Gabby told them, heading towards the kitchen, grateful for something to do. "Fran, you don't start for a few minutes, would you like something?"

"I'm not that hungry." She responded. "Would you mind sharing?"

"Not at all." Michelle said, waving off the request.

"OK then, that's one large Italian sausage coming up." Gabby said cheerfully, before disappearing into the kitchen. Fran reached across the table, taking Michelle's left hand, inspecting her bracelet.

"I love this bracelet." She complimented her, looking at it. "Where did you get it?"

"Flit gave it to me." Michelle informed her, taking her hand back and brushing some hair out of her face. She was trying hard not to look Fran in the eyes. She knew how excited Fran could get about romantic and family matters. The last thing she wanted was for her to run off and tell Flit that she was turning red like a nervous schoolgirl any time anyone mentioned his name to her. "It's an acupuncture bracelet. He gave it to me after our lesson last night."

"It's really pretty." Fran cooed, fawning over it. She raised her eyes a little, and was sure she caught the slightest hint of pink in Michelle's cheeks. "So are you going to do more lessons?"

"I said I'd phone when I get a couple of days off." She replied, retrieving her hand. Fran saw the slightest quiver in her fingers as she talked about their lessons. "I really love all these new things he's teaching me. He's really opened my eyes, there's so much more to medicine than I ever knew."

"He is really smart." Fran said, getting a little thought in her head. "I know a lot of the others underestimate him at times because he was a healer and not a warrior, but there are times I think he's the smartest one of us."

"He's incredible." Michelle agreed, and immediately wished she hadn't. "Uh...I mean, he really does know a lot."

Fran got a little smile on her face as Gabby arrived with the pizza. She had noticed Michelle calling him incredible, and with just a little too much excitement. She had confirmed her suspicions. Michelle was falling for Flit. She picked up a slice as Gabby set the dish down on the table.

"So, how's the new job?" She asked.

"It's pretty good." Michelle replied with a shrug. "I'm hoping to start looking for an apartment soon. I know RJ and Lily said I can stay, but I think it'd be best to leave them with David in the not too distant future."

"Well what about Susan's apartment?" Fran suggested. "I know it's not huge, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I lived with my sister for 17 years." Michelle reminded her. "I love her, but living with her is like an endurance trial."

"Well, it was just a suggestion." Fran said with a little disappointment as she realised her idea had not worked. Since Flit worked in the Rock Porium, she had figured if Michelle lived above the store, they'd be bound to run into each other a lot. "There's always Flit's place..."

"NO!" Michelle snapped a little too sharply. Her eyes were open wide in her panic. She stammered uncontrollably, trying to recover the situation. "Umm...I'm sure he wants to keep his own space."

"You could always ask." Fran suggested, taking some amusement in Michelle's somewhat obvious nerves.

"No, it's fine." Michelle repeated in a whisper, sorting her hair as casually as she could. "I'm sure I'll find somewhere of my own."

"So, how's the pizza?" RJ asked as he arrived by their table.

"It's amazing." Michelle told him, breathing a little sigh of relief at the opportunity to change the subject. "It's really good."

Fran saw RJ looking at her bracelet a little curiously and realised he had seen it.

"You know, I'm about finished here." Fran told her. "If you want to take the rest upstairs..."

"I think I will." Michelle replied, picking up the dish. "I'd quite like a beer."

"You know where the fridge is." RJ called after her. "Help yourself."

As he watched her go, Fran got the childish little grin that she always did in these situations.

"She was wearing Flit's acupuncture bracelet." He told her.

"She said Flit gave it to her." Fran informed him. "She said he gave it to her after one of their lessons."

"You know he likes her?" RJ asked. Fran looked at him curiously.

"I read a lot of romance novels." She responded. "You know?"

"He told me he's been having strong feelings for her." RJ answered. "I never knew he liked her that much."

"RJ, it's just a bracelet..."

"It's a bracelet he was given when he completed his training." RJ informed her. "He was trained by his dad. That bracelet's over a thousand years old, it means the world to him."

"Well I guess it's pretty safe to say that he likes her a lot then." Fran told him. "The thing is, I think she likes him too."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Flit said his feelings were making their lessons hard. I told him he should just tell her."

"The way she was acting when I asked her about him, I'd say she's more than interested." Fran assured him. "She was worse than I was before Theo finally put me out my misery."

"No one could be that bad." RJ teased her. Fran shoved him playfully.

"She could barely string two words together without stammering, and she kept turning brighter pink than Gabby's dance leotards." Fran explained. "I'd say it's pretty conclusive."

RJ took a couple of steps back, pointing a warning finger at her.

"Fran, I know that look in your eye." He said as he saw the dangerous situation arising. "They're both adults, you should leave it alone."

"Sorry RJ, but it's too late." She replied. "I'm feeling better, and I'm just waiting on the High School returning my application."

"Fran..."

"Sorry RJ, but I've made up my mind." She said cheerfully. "Operation matchmaker has commenced."


	65. A Glitch in Operation Matchmaker

Jarrod woke up in his bed with Susan in his arms the following morning, finding her resting contentedly in the bed next to him. He carefully got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom, taking one last look at the woman he loved lying in the bed and smiled.

He loved this new life he had with her. They hadn't yet gotten around to having a full-blown engagement party with the others yet, but that was because Susan was still busy getting used to running the Rock Porium. He checked his appearance in the mirror, and picked up his shaving brush, and started to apply soap to his face.

"Good morning handsome." Susan greeted him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jarrod smiled as he felt her warm body resting gently against his. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "You didn't wake me."

"I was trying to let you get some rest." He told her. "I can't help it if I get up early, but there's no reason you should miss out on sleep."

"I know you do that whole rustic thing up here, but there is a fantastic invention called a watch." She teased him, showing him the time. "We were out for about 10 hours."

"Damn it, that's the third time this week I've slept in." Jarrod stated, picking up his razor. "Dom's going to think I'm getting lazy."

"Maybe it's just old age setting in." She suggested. "I do know it's a certain Lion's birthday soon."

"You know you are older than me." He teased her playfully, stroking some soap onto the end of her hose with his shaving brush."

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that mister!" She replied, tickling him playfully. Jarrod's hand slipped, causing him to cut himself with the razor. "Oh, Jarrod, I'm sorry..."

"It's only a little nick." He assured her, dropping the razor into the wash bowl and manhandling her onto the bed. "That doesn't mean to say I won't make you pay."

Meanwhile, Michelle arrived in the hospital, ready to begin her shift. She pulled on her lab coat and sorted out her hair as she prepared to face another day of work. Dr. Wallace knocked her door gently, announcing his arrival.

"Hi, how was last night?" Michelle asked him. "Did your wife enjoy the meal?"

"She did." He assured her. "If you're looking for a decent steak, I can thoroughly recommend the new place at the edge of town."

"So how are the residents looking this morning?" She asked him.

"The ones that are here look eager enough." Dr. Wallace told her. "Davies is late again."

"Again?" Michelle asked him in an exasperated groan. "I'll talk to him."

"Unfortunately that's part of the job that isn't fun." Dr. Wallace told her. "His attendance record needs to improve; otherwise we'll have no choice but to let him go."

Michelle played with her bracelet nervously as she thought about it. This was only her second day in her new job. She had never had to discipline a staff member before.

"It's OK, at this stage it's only a warning you have to give him." Dr. Wallace said reassuringly. "Just explain to him the situation and make sure he understands how important it is he's here on time."

"I'll do it." She told him. "I guess I had to deal with this side of the job sooner or later."

"Just try and not let it get personal." He told her. "As long as it stays professional, it'll be fine."

With that, he left her office, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a bag of herbal tea and switched on her kettle. She just knew that this was going to be a rough day.

Back at the temple, Jarrod had bid Susan farewell and finished getting cleaned up, before heading to the main courtyard where Dom was finishing with the morning lessons. He laughed as he saw his brother coming over.

"Good afternoon Jarrod." He greeted him sarcastically. "You slept in again?"

"It seems so." He replied. "I've been feeling pretty run down lately."

"Well you have been a little pale lately." Dom stated. "Are you sure you're getting enough sleep? Susan has been around here kind of a lot recently." Jarrod gave him a sort of warning glare.

"She's been around a lot, but I've still been getting a lot of sleep." He told him. "In fact, I must have got about 10 hours last night. I still just feel really tired all the time."

"I'm sure you've just picked something up from one of the students." Dom said with a shrug. "You know what this place is like, one person gets sick and the whole place gets it."

"I guess you're right." Jarrod replied. "Listen, thanks for taking the class this morning."

"Just remember this the next time I want time off." Dom reminded him as he left. "Remember RJ invited us all round for drinks tonight."

Jarrod watched him go, and suddenly became aware of something strange going on with his neck. He pulled off the dressing he'd put over his shaving cut and pressed his fingers to it, looking in confusion at the blood on his fingers.

"Why am I still bleeding?" He asked himself.

At JKP, Susan arrived to find Fran and Gabby dealing with the last of the lunch rush.

"I take it you're doing the delivery run today." Fran greeted her. "What can I get for you?"

"A chicken pasta for me, meatball penne for Theo and an extra large four meat special for Flit." She replied. Fran shook her head in disbelief.

"I still don't know where he puts it all." Fran commented, hearing Flit's order. "I don't know his secret, he eats like a horse and never gains a pound."

"He's just one of the lucky ones I guess." Susan said with a shrug. "Anyway I'm really looking forward to coming over tonight. Jarrod and I haven't had a chance to celebrate yet."

"Casey seems OK with it." Fran commented. "At least he hasn't said anything yet."

"He's been kind of quiet." Susan agreed. "He still isn't really nuts about the idea of having Jarrod as a brother-in-law, but I think he's starting to get over it."

"He's your brother." Fran reminded her. "Worrying about you is second nature to him."

"Well he doesn't worry about Chelle." Susan chuckled.

"Well that's because she isn't going out with anyone." Fran reminded her. "Well, not yet anyway." Susan got a knowing smile on her face as Fran said this.

"Why do I get the feeling tonight's more about Michelle than me and Jarrod?" She asked. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"She hasn't made a move, but I'm hoping to change that." Fran told her. "She's totally crushing on Flit."

"Ha! I knew it!" Susan yelled excitedly, slamming a hand on the counter. "She tried to deny it, but I recognise the signs."

"Well it seems like Flit's crazy about her too." Fran told her. "I'm just hoping to...you know...move things along."

"What better environment than a nice romantic engagement party?" Susan responded as Gabby came out of the kitchen with the take-away order. "I like the way you think."

"Fran told you about Operation Matchmaker didn't she?" Gabby asked her, rolling her eyes. "She hasn't shut up about this since she got this idea in her head."

"Well I for one think it would be good for Michelle to spend a little less time at the hospital." Susan replied. "Consider me in."

At the hospital, Davies left Michelle's office with his tail between his legs. She closed the door behind her and sat at her desk, holding her head in her hands. He had taken his warning hard, but she knew that she had to reprimand him for his behaviour. He was a good resident, and it would be a shame if he lost a job he showed a real talent for through poor time-keeping. She looked up as she heard a knock on her door. Jarrod came into her office.

"Jarrod?" She asked him curiously. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to see you about something." He replied, closing the door behind him.

"I'll be at RJ's tonight..."

"It's a medical issue." He interrupted her. "I think something's wrong with me."

"Tell me what you can." Michelle replied sadly, seeing the slight tinge of fear in his expression. "I'll do what I can."

Later in the evening, Flit, Theo and Susan came into the restaurant after closing the Rock Porium. Theo made his way over to Fran, kissing her enthusiastically.

"I could get used to being greeted like that." She chuckled.

"What can I say? You look beautiful." He complimented her. "You look like you're feeling a lot better."

"What can I say, Flit's a miracle worker." Fran called over to their friend. "How was the pizza?"

"It was fantastic as always!" He said warmly. "Is RJ upstairs?"

"He is." Fran told him. "Casey and Camille will be around shortly. Michelle called to say she was held up at the hospital."

"Hey guys, how are things?" Dom called out as he arrived in the restaurant. "Where's the happy couple?"

"Only half here." Susan answered. "I thought Jarrod was with you?"

"He left the temple a couple of hours ago." Dom told her. "I thought he was with you."

"I just needed to get some air." Jarrod told them as he arrived. He came over to Susan's side and kissed her on the cheek gently. "Could I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." She replied curiously, getting up with him and heading outside. Michelle was arriving as they left. She barely even registered Susan as they brushed past her.

"Whoa, there, where's my hello?" Susan asked her. Michelle looked blankly at her and Jarrod for a second.

"Oh, right, hi Susan." She mumbled.

"Well don't sound too excited." Susan responded sarcastically. "I mean I do get engaged pretty much every other week."

"Sorry Susan, you're right." Michelle replied, looking between Jarrod and her sister. "I've just had a long day at the hospital."

"We're just heading upstairs." Flit told her as the others gathered their belongings. "Would you like to join us?"

"Sure thing." She replied. "I think a beer's pretty much exactly what I need."

Flit looked at her curiously. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She wasn't her usual, cheerful self. Fran nudged Gabby and pointed to Flit, pointing out the way he was looking at her.

"Would you give it a rest?" Gabby grumbled. "Let's just finish up in here and close up."

"Oh come on, you're no fun." Fran chastised her. "Where's the romance in your soul?"

Susan sat on a short wall outside the restaurant as Jarrod paced nervously back and forth before her. She was beginning to get a little worried about him. He clearly had something playing on his mind.

"Jarrod, what's wrong?" She asked him. "The others are waiting for us upstairs."

"I won't keep you too much longer, I promise." He replied, stroking his neck nervously. "Susan, you know I love you right?"

"Jarrod, what's this about?" She asked him.

"Susan, I want to marry you." He told her.

"Well, that's kind of what tonight's all about." Susan replied.

"No, I don't think you get this." Jarrod responded. "I want to marry you. Not in a few months or a few years, as soon as possible."

"Excuse me?" She asked him.

"I want to get married as soon as possible." He told her. "A few weeks, a fortnight..."

"Whoa, Jarrod, slow down!" She responded nervously. "What's this all about?"

"It's about the fact that I love you Susan." He told her enthusiastically. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"Jarrod, I want to be with you too." Susan replied, taking his hand in her own. "But there's so much to arrange, so much to plan..."

"Susan, all our friends are here." He told her. "Your mom's only in San Francisco, there isn't any reason to wait..."

"Jarrod, is everything alright?" She asked him. "You'd tell me if something was wrong wouldn't you?"

"You don't want to marry me?" He asked her. Susan breathed a sad sigh and looked into his eyes.

"Jarrod, I want to marry you, but I don't want to rush into it." Susan told him. "We've got all the time in the world to arrange this..."

"That's just the thing Susan, I might not." He told her. He sat down with her as she looked at him in confusion. "I went to see Michelle today."

"Jarrod, you're scaring me." Susan whispered as he began. "If something's wrong, please just tell me."

"Michelle ran a few tests on me at the hospital." He told her. "I've got leukaemia."

"Jarrod?" She asked him weakly as the weight of what he'd told her hit her like a blow straight to her heart.

"My mom died of leukaemia a few weeks after I was born." He told her. "She was diagnosed while she was pregnant with me, and she refused treatment because she was worried that it would harm, maybe even kill me."

"How serious is it?" She asked him.

"She doesn't know yet." He responded. "She's pretty sure that they've found it early, but she'll need to run some more tests before we begin treatment."

"Jarrod, why didn't you just tell me?" She asked him tearfully.

"I don't know how far things have gone." He replied. "I'm scared Susan, I'm really scared."

"You don't have to face this alone." She assured him. "Jarrod, I love you. We'll get through this, we'll get through this together."

As the night wore on, Michelle took a second to step outside for some fresh air. She knew about Jarrod's condition. She didn't notice as Flit came into the hall and sat down with her.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked her. "You've been pretty quiet all night."

"I've had a bad day at work." She told him. "I can't talk about it."

"You can talk to me about anything." He assured her, putting an arm around her. Michelle smiled a little at the gesture and leant into him.

"I'm sorry Flit, I can't." She replied. "It's about a patient. I can't discuss it."

"You know Jarrod and Susan have been pretty quiet too." He stated sympathetically. "It's never easy when someone you care about is ill."

"It's not fair Flit!" She whimpered, pulling into him. "I've been a doctor for so long. I've seen stuff like this all the time..."

"These things are never fair." He told her.

"What am I meant to do?" She asked him.

"The only thing a healer can do." He told her, cradling her close to him. "All you can."

With that, they settled into each others' arms, taking comfort in the other. It was a cruel twist of fate that this had happened to Jarrod at this time, but it felt good to know that she wasn't alone. While he didn't know what was wrong with Jarrod, Flit knew that she needed him. That was going to have to be enough. She was going to need all the strength he could offer her to help her family through this. But more importantly than that, she just needed him. With him by her side, she felt like everything would work out.


	66. Jarrod's Future

The next day, Jarrod woke up in Susan's apartment above the Rock Porium. Following their engagement party Dom had not been surprised that they wanted to spend the night together, and had offered to take the morning classes to allow him more time with his fiancée.

Susan turned over to look at him and gave a small, forced smile. It should have been one of the happiest days of her life when her friends came together to celebrate the fact she and Jarrod had elected to spend the rest of their lives together. Unfortunately fate had not been that kind.

"Michelle wants to see me in an hour." Jarrod told her, gently stroking her hair. "I should be getting ready."

"I'll come with you." She replied in a whisper. She hated to think that Jarrod was sick, but she loved him dearly and she wanted nothing more than to support him through this difficult time. She wanted to be with him every step of the way, no matter how much her heart was breaking to think that she might lose him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her as he started to pull on his boxer shorts. Susan pulled the bed sheet around herself and came to his side, kissing him softly.

"Jarrod, you don't have to do this alone." She told him. She showed him her engagement ring. "That's what I signed up for when I agreed to marry you."

Jarrod smiled and held her tightly. He still felt quite tired and ill, but Susan always gave him strength whenever he felt low. They had not yet told the others, only Michelle knew that he had leukaemia since she had been the one who examined him. He had decided that he didn't want to upset the others needlessly until they knew the full extent of what they were up against. Michelle needed to wait on more lab results on his blood sample before she knew how far his condition had progressed and how serious things were. He knew that he had to tell Susan though. There was no way he could keep it from her for any length of time.

"I was serious you know." He told her seriously.

"Jarrod, I know you're scared." Susan replied sympathetically. "I'm terrified, but we have to remain strong through this."

"No, that's not it." He interrupted her. "I have to admit that this thing accelerated my decision, but I've never been surer about anything in my life. I want you to marry me as soon as possible."

"Let's get the results of these tests." Susan responded weakly. "We'll talk about this later."

"I'll hold you to that." He said, hiding a slight note of disappointment in his voice. "We should be getting ready. Michelle will be expecting us."

At that moment, Michelle was arriving in her office, looking a little frazzled. She had been a doctor for so long she knew the importance of patient doctor confidentiality, but it had never directly affected her own family before. It upset her deeply to know that Jarrod had contracted leukaemia. She liked him, he was a good friend, but more than that he was the man his sister had fallen in love with. It just didn't seem fair that she would have to face the possibility of losing him. It was an even crueller twist of fate that it had been her that discovered his condition and knew that if he didn't tell Susan; there would be nothing she could do to let her twin sister know that her fiancé was sick.

She was thankful for the fact that Flit had figured out she was upset about something, and even more so that she had noticed that Jarrod and Susan seemed to be a lot more subdued than someone would expect of a young couple at their engagement party. She couldn't tell him why she was so upset, but he knew that it had something to do with Jarrod and Susan.

He didn't ask her to betray their confidence. He knew she couldn't, and he explained that the healers were bound by a similar oath. He just held her and let her cry, allowed her to let go of the upset she felt at knowing that someone she cared about was seriously ill. Just like their meditation session at the beginning of their training together, he allowed her to let go of pain she had been carrying around in her heart. It was just one of the things she loved about him. He could always make her feel better; regardless of how much she had convinced even her own family that everything was fine.

She quickly got changed and sorted out her hair as much as she could be bothered to under the circumstances. She only had one thought right now. She looked down to her bracelet and took strength in knowing that Flit would support her, even if he didn't know exactly why she was upset. She quickly made her way to the haematology lab and punched in the code to go in. She looked through the out tray and breathed a sigh of relief as she found the chart she was looking for. Jarrod's results had returned. She returned to her office and opened the folder, a little afraid of what she would find. She cared for all of her patients, and she always hated to give them bad news, but this was the first time she had such a huge personal investment in the result.

In the Rock Porium, Flit and Theo were having a quiet day. Theo was busy dusting while Flit stood, absent-mindedly doodling on a sheet of blank paper. Susan had left them to mind the store while she dealt with personal business. Flit knew that Michelle was upset about something to do with either her sister or Jarrod, and he had presumed that she was dealing with that. He didn't know any details, but he had an idea that one or other of them had a serious medical condition given how upset Michelle was about knowing. Theo came over to him after dusting the speed metal section for seemingly the millionth time.

"I notice that you and Michelle slipped away for quite a while last night." He commented.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Flit replied quietly, finishing his pencil sketch of a horse. Or at least it was meant to be a horse. It looked more like a trash can with legs. As an artist, he was a great healer. He screwed up the sheet of paper and threw it in the trash can.

"Look, if something's going on..."

"Nothing's going on between me and Michelle." He stated flatly. He couldn't help thinking about her. Nothing was going on between them, but that didn't mean he didn't want there to be. He had been drawn to her for a long time now, but he still never seemed to find a time where it seemed right to tell her. He knew that eventually he would have to, even if she didn't return his feelings. Their lessons had become all but impossible for him since he started feeling this way. Of course now he couldn't say anything. Now she would need a friend, not a man who wanted more from her than she would be willing to give. It would be unfair to expect her to consider anything like this now. "What makes you think there is?"

"I guess I've just been listening to my wife too much." He replied with a shrug. Flit looked up from his doodling with a curious look on his face.

"Fran thinks that?" He asked him. Theo just held up his hands defensively.

"You know what she's like. She's an obsessive romantic." He replied defensively. "She's gotten a million times worse since she became pregnant. I think she's becoming hormonal."

"I guess she means well." Flit said with a shrug. "There's nothing going on."

"Well I should warn you that she's kind of obsessed with this idea." Theo said in a cautionary tone. "She's already kind of tried to rally the others into setting you up."

Flit just nodded wordlessly and went back to his doodling. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before setting up their friends would be the last thing on anyone's mind.

Back at the hospital, Jarrod and Susan arrived in Michelle's office, finding her there with some more paperwork. She gestured them both in as she realised that it was now time for his appointment. They both sat down opposite her.

"I told Susan what's happening." Jarrod assured her. "Anything you have to tell me, you can say in front of her."

"It's OK sis." Susan chipped in, holding Jarrod's hand warmly. "I need to know this."

Michelle nodded in understanding and opened the file, looking at his charts.

"They have confirmed my original finding, it is leukaemia." She informed him, looking between her sister and her future brother-in-law. "The good news is that we've caught it early."

"What are my chances?" He asked her.

"I can't lie to you, it is a serious condition but your chances are good." She informed him. "You're in excellent health otherwise. You managed to see me during the early symptoms, so if we start treatment soon, I'd say your chances of entering remission are pretty good."

"What's involved?" He asked her.

"We'll put you on a course of mixed medication chemotherapy." She replied.

"What are the side-effects?" Susan asked her. "I've heard chemotherapy can be pretty rough."

"I won't lie to you, what we'll essentially be doing is poisoning your system in order to kill off the cancerous cells." She told them. "It isn't going to be pleasant. You're probably going to feel pretty ill and you'll be quite weak while you're on the medication. You're probably going to need a fair bit of help."

"What about my classes?" He asked her. Michelle shook her head.

"They'll have to stop." She said bluntly. "Your body is going to go through a lot. You already know that your blood takes a lot longer to clot. Your body's going to be a lot more susceptible to injury. Anything with a high chance of injury I'd strongly recommend you stop for the duration of your treatment."

"I guess I'm going to have to ask Dom to take over for the foreseeable future." He said quietly. He suddenly got a horrible thought. "Dom!"

"I'd recommend he comes in for testing too." She responded, pre-empting his question thoughts. "Since you both have the same mother, you both have a family history. It would be advisable that he gets tested. You should both have been screened regularly."

"We're going to have to make a lot of changes." Susan reminded him. "We'll need a lot of help from the others until your treatment's over. It's only fair that we tell them what's going on."

"You said we're going to have to start treatment straight away." Jarrod recalled. "How soon are we going to start?"

"I can arrange for you to have your first course of treatment today." Michelle replied, getting up from her chair and moving towards the door. "I'll just take you to a room."

"Sis, there's one other thing I want you to do. I'd like you to take blood samples from us." Susan told her. She turned to face Jarrod and looked into his eyes. "We're going to need that if we're going to apply for a marriage licence."

"Are you sure about this?" Jarrod asked her as he realised what she had said. Susan nodded.

"We're going to face this together." She assured him. "I'm sure about this. It's what I want Jarrod."

He couldn't think of any words to answer her. All he could do was hold her in his arms and kiss her passionately. He knew he would beat this thing as long as he had her with him. Michelle gave a small cough to remind them she was there.

"I'll sort out your blood samples." She told them. "If you'd like to come with me Jarrod, I'll get you settled in."

"Don't worry, I'll be right here." Susan stated. "I'm not going anywhere."

Later in the evening, Casey had finished closing the gym and went upstairs to his apartment, finding Camille playing with their daughter Holly. She was currently trying to encourage her to turn over. He came over to her, kissing his wife gently.

"So how are my two favourite ladies?" He asked her.

"I'm OK, thanks honey." She replied as she picked up her daughter. "I think she's nearly got it."

"I'm sure she'll start crawling when she's ready honey." He reminded her, making his way over to the kitchen and looking into the pot. "This smells really good."

He looked around as he heard a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" He asked curiously. Camille just shrugged and shook her head. She wasn't expecting anyone. She made her way to the door and opened it to find Dominic and Gabby standing there.

"Dom, what can we do for you?" She asked him as she showed them in.

"Jarrod called my cell phone and told me to meet him here." He replied. "He said he wanted to talk about something."

"Jarrod!" Casey called out as he face-palmed himself. "Sorry Camille, he called and said he and Susan were coming around to talk about something during my class. I forgot all about it."

"You and your memory," she grumbled as she took Holly through to the nursery, "I swear it gets worse every day."

They heard another knock on the door. Casey answered it to find Jarrod and Susan there. He seemed to be steadying himself on her shoulder.

"Jarrod?" He asked as he helped him in. "Is everything alright?"

"You look pretty green around the gills bro." Dominic agreed as Susan and Casey took him to a seat. Jarrod took a second to steady his stomach as he sat on the couch. Michelle hadn't been lying when she said he would feel terrible after his treatments. He couldn't remember ever feeling so sick.

"We wanted to talk to you about something important." He told them. "I've been to the hospital to have some tests done."

"What's wrong Jarrod?" Gabby asked him. "I know Dom said you've not been feeling great recently."

"Well I found out it's a lot more serious than I first thought." He responded. He put his arm around Susan and held her close to him for strength. "I've been diagnosed with leukaemia."

The apartment seemed to fall into silence for hours as the others just stared at him in disbelief. It was an uncomfortable situation for all of them; they didn't know what to say to him.

"He began treatment this morning." Susan told them. "We just needed to let everyone know. We're going to tell the others over the next couple of days."

"Michelle said you should probably go and see her Dom." Jarrod told him. "We both have a family history. We should have been getting screened regularly."

"What are you going to do?" Casey asked him.

"We caught it quite early, so Michelle's confident we have a good chance I'll make it into remission." He informed them. "But during my treatment I'm going to need a lot of help."

"What kind of help?" Dominic asked him.

"That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you all about." He responded. "I'm going to have to give up my position as head trainer at the temple. I know you and Dom have other responsibilities, so I was hoping you could split the responsibilities between you."

"We'll do anything else we can to help." Casey told him.

"There's one more thing." Susan chipped in. "We've decided we don't want to wait too long. We're getting married as soon as we can."

The room fell silent again at that news. Camille held Casey's hand, but was glad she didn't feel the usual tension in him when they talked about marriage. He was friends with Jarrod, and he had nothing against him really, but having spent so long being the man of the family, he still had problems letting go of that. In truth, he'd probably have been much the same with anyone who got that close to Susan. He had his moments of clarity where he could see how happy Jarrod made her, and he had even encouraged her to get back together with him during their brief separation. He just still worried about her.

"How soon are we talking?" Casey asked them. Jarrod smiled as he heard Casey asking this. It was a big step for him to accept them actually arranging a wedding.

"We should be able to get a marriage licence in the next couple of weeks." He informed them. "We'll start making arrangements then."

"We'll all be there for you." Gabby said, wiping away a tear as she was finally able to speak after the news. "We'll all help you in any way we can."

"Thanks Gabby." Jarrod told her. "That really means a lot to me."

With that, they all surrounded Jarrod and Susan in a show of unity. It meant the world to them to know that their friends were there for her. Jarrod smiled and held his fiancée as he felt hopeful for the future. It was likely to be the hardest challenge he'd ever faced, but for the first time in his life, he wasn't facing it alone.


	67. Jarrod's Fight

Susan helped Jarrod in the door of the Rock Porium with a large suitcase. Since her apartment was closer to the hospital and he didn't have a car, they had decided that in the meantime it would be best if he stayed at her apartment over the shop. Theo pointed to Susan struggling with the suitcase.

"I guess you're not much of a gentleman." He laughed, earning him a dirty look from Jarrod and his boss. Susan was going to say something, but Jarrod held up a hand and shook his head. They hadn't told Theo yet, he didn't know any better.

"I'm moving in here for the foreseeable future." He informed the Blue Ranger. "The reason Susan's carrying my case is because I'm still feeling weak. I began treatment for leukaemia yesterday."

Theo's face fell as he realised his error. He didn't know that Jarrod was sick; he cursed himself for his habit of making smart-ass jokes. If he'd known he wouldn't have said anything.

"You have leukaemia?" He asked. Jarrod just nodded his head to confirm this. "Is it serious?"

He almost kicked himself for that one. It was a pointless question, of course it was serious. He'd just informed him that he had cancer.

"Michelle thinks we've caught it in time." He responded, understanding how awkward this had to be for Theo. "She thinks I have a good chance of getting into remission."

He made his way over and took the case from Susan and began walking with them to the stairs. He couldn't look at Jarrod in his embarrassment.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know." He told him. "If I'd known..."

"It's OK Theo, I only found out myself a couple of days ago." Jarrod interrupted him reassuringly.

"I guess that's why you were so quiet at the engagement party." He surmised as they arrived in the apartment. "If there's anything I can do to help, you only have to say."

"I'll probably need you and Flit to mind the store a little more often." Susan told him, sitting with her fiancé on the couch and holding him closely. "I want to be with Jarrod when he's having his treatments."

"No problem at all." Theo assured her, stroking his neck nervously. "Have you told Flit yet?"

"The only people that know are Michelle, Dom, Casey, Camille and Gabby." He replied. "I wanted to tell them first. I'm going to tell the others today."

"Is Dom OK?" Theo asked. "You're brothers and..."

"He's got an appointment for a screening with Michelle today." Jarrod interrupted him. "That's one of the first things I thought of."

"We also wanted you to know that we've made a decision." Susan told him, taking Jarrod's hand and lacing her fingers with his. "We're not going to wait. We've applied for a marriage licence; we're going to start making arrangements as soon as we can."

"We always knew we wanted this." Jarrod told him. "This just kind of accelerated things slightly."

"Look, I meant what I said." Theo responded. "If there's anything I can do..."

"Thanks Theo." Jarrod interrupted him. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Theo just extended a hand, which Jarrod shook in a comforting gesture. Theo left the room, but had to stop to dry a tear as he left the apartment to go back to the store. It just wasn't fair. After everything Jarrod had been through, his less than ideal childhood, his discovery that he was adopted, being possessed by Dai Shi and worst of all, losing his first child, it seemed like Karma was finally paying him back for everything he went through. Despite how crazy it made Casey, he was happy with Susan. It just didn't seem fair that he had to face this now.

Dom waited patiently in Michelle's office with Gabby, holding her hand. Michelle arrived, holding a chart and smiled at him.

"It's good news." She told him. "The tests are all negative. You're clear."

Dom let out a sigh of relief and Gabby hugged him warmly. He was relieved to know that there was nothing wrong with him, but at the same time he felt a tremendous guilt. All he could think about when Michelle said those words was how relieved he was that he would be alright.

He hadn't spared a second thought for Jarrod. While he was happy that he was in the clear, he felt guilty about the fact that he was happy. Jarrod didn't have the same relief, he was going through hell because of this thing and all he could think about was the fact he wasn't going through it too.

"Dom, this is a good thing." Michelle reminded him as he sat silently. "You should be happy."

"I am it's just...."

"It's a natural reaction." Michelle assured him. "Of course you feel bad about Jarrod being sick. That doesn't mean you can't be happy that you're not."

"I just feel like I owe him something." He sighed, looking down at his shoes. "I'm his big brother, I'm meant to be the one taking the hits."

"Dom, you are doing something for him." Gabby reminded him, looking into his eyes sympathetically. "You're there for him. You're supporting him. You'll be there no matter how bad things get. I know you will."

"I just wish I could do more." He replied, fidgeting in his chair. "Why couldn't it have been me?"

"You might have taken more of your genes from your dad than Jarrod did." Michelle told him. "That isn't your fault, it's not like you had a choice in the matter."

"I just really wish I could do more for him." Dom replied wiping his eyes as a few tears started to form.

"You'll do the most important thing in the world for him." Gabby assured him, kneeling on the floor in front of him and holding his hands, looking into his eyes. "You'll be his brother."

Dom smiled slightly and leaned into her, hugging her deeply. He loved her so much; she always made him feel like he was the best he could be. Any time he thought he had reached his limits, she managed to find a way to inspire him to keep going. With her by his side, he could accomplish anything, and he knew he would need that. Jarrod needed him, and the only way he could cope was if he had her. He had found the woman he was meant to be with; at that moment he was certain that the humming bird was destined to be his soul mate.

Over at JKP, Swoop, Finn and Phant arrived, taking a seat in a booth over by the juke box. Fran came over to them, a little curious to see them there. They were all normally so reclusive that they only really ventured into the city if they had business to deal with.

"What can I do for you?" She asked them. "Is everything alright?"

"I'd like to know the same thing." Flit announced as he arrived. "Jarrod called and said he had something important to discuss."

"He told us the same thing." Swoop told him, running a hand through his hair.

"He said he wanted to see us too." Lily told them as she arrived, cradling David in her arms. RJ was a short way behind them.

"Well it looks like we're about to get our answer." RJ said as Susan and Jarrod entered the restaurant. He sat down as Susan fetched herself a chair.

"So what's up Jarrod?" Lily asked him with a smile. "Have you and Susan set a date yet?"

"Well, not exactly but it will be soon." He told them. "We're looking to get married in the next few weeks."

"Well that's a cause for celebration." Master Finn said happily. Swoop put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head gently. He could hear that Jarrod's heartbeat was different. He had something else to say.

"I went to see Michelle at the hospital two days ago." He told them. "I have leukaemia."

RJ held Lily closely as his revelation sank in. Flit looked away as he heard this, finally realising why Michelle had been so upset. It must have been torture for her to know that the man her sister loved so much was seriously ill, and being unable to talk to anyone about it. He hated the thought that she had been carrying that burden alone.

"She said it's been found early and she's confident I've got a good chance of entering remission." He told them. "While I'm being treated, I'll have to give up my position at the temple. Casey and Dom will do all they can to cover for me."

"We'll chip in too." Master Finn told him flatly. "We may be retired, but we're still Masters."

"Thanks, that's what I was going to ask." Jarrod told them. "I know Casey and Dom have other commitments, so I hoped you'd help them."

"You didn't even need to ask." Master Phant assured him. "We're all Pai Zhuq. We stick together."

"More importantly than that, we're your friends." Lily assured him, reaching over the table and placing a hand on his arm. "We're family. We'll be here for you no matter what happens."

"Thanks." He said quietly, smiling at the gesture. "It really means a lot."

"I called mom and told her we're getting married soon." Susan told them. "She was a bit surprised, but she understands."

"If there's anything else we can do, just let us know." RJ told them. Susan pulled Jarrod closer and held him tightly.

"It means a lot to us that you're all so supportive." She told them. "You've all been so amazing."

"Well we all want to do our bit." Swoop responded, putting a hand on Jarrod's shoulder. "You're not alone in this."

"Thanks." Jarrod replied. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Later in the night, Michelle arrived back in her apartment after a seemingly-endless shift at the hospital. She threw her keys onto the coffee table and groaned loudly as she hung her jacket up on the coat rack. She went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine, unscrewing the cap and pouring herself a glass. She groaned again as she heard the doorbell sounding.

"If this is about that damned newspaper subscription again, I swear I'll cripple you!" She yelled as she made her way to the door. She pulled it open, and fell silent as she saw Flit standing on the doorstep.

"I guess it's just as well I'm not a paperboy." He said in a dry, light-hearted tone. "How do you feel about flies?" Michelle showed him in, before fetching another glass.

"Would you like a glass?" She asked him.

"Yes." He replied, taking a seat. "Jarrod came into the restaurant to talk to us. I know about the leukaemia."

Michelle brought him his glass and handed it to him before sitting down herself.

"It can't have been easy knowing about it." Flit told her. "I guess that's why you were so upset the other night."

"It is." She sighed, taking a sip. "I've been a doctor for years. I should be able to deal with things like this, but it's the first time it's been someone in my own family."

"Just because you're a doctor doesn't mean you're not human." He told her, stroking her hand gently. "It's only natural to feel badly for him."

"It's just been so lonely having to deal with this myself." She whispered as she took another sip. "I know I could talk to the other doctors at the hospital, but it isn't the same. I wanted to talk to you, but I couldn't..."

"I respect the fact that you kept his confidence." Flit interrupted her. "It's the hardest part about..."

"Being a healer?" She asked him. Flit shook his head.

"Being a person." He corrected her. "You were willing to carry this by yourself for him. That says a lot about the kind of person you are. It's in your nature to care for others. It's one of the things I love about you."

"Well I've always..." Her words tailed off as she realised what he had said. "What did you say?"

He moved closer, placing a hand softly against her cheek. He looked deeply into her eyes and found his heart racing as he prepared to say what he had come to say.

"Michelle, I should have told you earlier. This thing with Jarrod's just reminded me how fragile life is."

He took a deep breath as he prepared to tell her how he felt. He could see in her eyes that she had guessed already, but he needed to get the words out.

"The reasons I've been so awkward in our lessons recently is because I've started to have feelings for you. Strong feelings." He admitted. "Michelle, I'm crazy about you. I know you probably don't feel the same way but..."

She crossed the short distance between them and their lips met. She had been falling for him so much, but she didn't know if she could tell him. It hurt just to be around him. She had felt like a love-sick teenager crushing on her teacher when she had started to feel the attraction to him. She was certain that he would turn her away, but he had said the thing she had been certain would only exist in her dreams. He felt the same way.

As their lips parted, she looked into his eyes, her lower lip quivering nervously. She wanted him to say something, anything, but he could only stare at her. Neither of them had expected the kiss to happen.

"Michelle?" He asked her hopefully. He had been stunned when she kissed him. RJ had advised him that he needed to tell her how he felt, but he would never have imagined in his wildest dreams that she returned his feelings.

"Flit, I've not been able to stop thinking about you for a while now." She told him. She put down her glass and took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "I'm falling in love with you."

Flit drew closer, running his fingers through her hair as he pulled her into a long, passionate kiss that made the world melt away. As they parted, he couldn't stop staring at her. She was the most beautiful and amazing woman he had ever met. His heart belonged to her.

"I love you too." He told her. "I've loved you for a while now; I was just scared to say anything. I was afraid you'd be scared off, or worse, that you'd laugh at me."

"How could I laugh at you?" She asked him, touching his face tenderly as she smiled at him. He put down his glass and held her, laying her down on the couch as they kissed.

Michelle reached up and pulled him onto the couch with her, holding him tightly. She had wanted to say something for so long, but she was certain he wouldn't return her feelings.

Jarrod's illness had affected each member of the large and dysfunctional family in different ways. In Flit's, it had inspired him to take the chance and tell her how he felt. He parted from her a short way and looked down on her, smiling broadly.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her. "I wouldn't want to rush..."

"Just shut the hell up and kiss me." She interrupted him, pulling him down into another kiss.

Meanwhile, Jarrod was getting himself ready for bed while Susan took a shower. He sat on the bed, waiting for her to return. She came into the room, smiling at him as she arrived.

"Susan, I want you to promise me something." He told her as she sat with him. She let out a sigh and looked away.

"Don't say it Jarrod." She begged him. "Please, Michelle said your prognosis is good..."

"I need to say this." He interrupted her. "I want you to promise me that if things don't work out, if this thing gets me, that you'll find someone else."

"Jarrod, you can't ask me to do that." She whispered as a tear leaked down her face. "I love you."

"I love you too, but I want you to be happy." He told her. "I need to know that if the worst happens, you'll be alright. I don't want you to be alone, even if you don't end up with me."

"Jarrod, that isn't going to happen," She put down sternly. "You're going to beat this. You aren't giving up! You're going to get better and you're...."

"It's alright to be scared." He said reassuringly as he placed a couple of fingers to her lips to silence her. "I'm not giving up; I'm going to fight this thing. I'm going to fight it with every ounce of strength I have, I love you so much that I want to be with you forever. I just need to know that if the worst happens, you'll be alright."

"Jarrod..."

"I need you to promise me this Susan." He told her flatly, looking into her eyes. "I need you to promise that if I die you'll move on."

She didn't want to think about it, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes. He needed to hear her make this promise to him, regardless of how much it hurt to think about it. She sniffed back a tear and nodded her head gently.

"I promise." She told him. Jarrod smiled and kissed her deeply. This was something he couldn't fight on his own, but with Susan by his side, he would fight it with a strength he never would have imagined he'd have. He had so much to live for, to fight for. He had the most beautiful woman in the world pledging her life to him. No matter how hard the fight became, he would fight for her. She was everything to him.


	68. Healing Hearts

The next morning, Flit made his way to the Rock Porium the next day, arriving to find Susan working her way through the books. He used his spare key to open the door, drawing her attention from the paperwork.

"Good Morning Flit." She grumbled, rubbing her eyes as she looked up. She had obviously been awake for a while now, and had been trying to attend to the accounts for something to do. "Could you remind me why I took this job again? I swear I had less paperwork when I was a cop."

"I think it had a little something to do with a certain Lion." He reminded her, taking off his jacket. "How is he by the way?"

"He was feeling pretty rough last night." She informed him. "I couldn't sleep, but I didn't want to disturb him."

"I've heard chemo can be pretty harsh." Flit told her sympathetically. "When's his next treatment?"

"He has a couple of days before his next appointment." She replied.

"I'll see if I can do something to help with the worst of the sickness." He told her as he reached for the kettle.

"I put on a pot of coffee, it should still be warm." She told him, taking a sip from her mug.

"Are you sure you made enough?" He asked in a laugh, pointing to the almost full pot. Susan just shrugged.

"Trust me, as a cop I learned to live on a diet of strong coffee." She stated flatly. "I once had to stake out a frat house for four days with nothing but a coffee pot and five buck a day budget to live on. I swear by now my blood stream's probably about 80 percent caffeine."

"You know, that's the second time you've mentioned being a cop since I got here." He reminded her. "Do you ever miss it?" She closed the books and looked up at him with a smile.

"You know it's odd, I hadn't thought about it much, but I really don't." She told him, considering the question carefully. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I occasionally think about what it would be like to still see that kind of action, but I really don't."

She packed up her accounts and placed them back into the safe, locking it behind her. She paused as she thought about his question.

"The weird thing is a few months ago if anyone had told me I'd quit the force and be happy working in a shop, I'd have thought they were nuts." She told him with a small laugh. "I guess it's the benefits of ending up with the right guy."

"You two really are made for each other, aren't you?" He commented.

"I like to think so." Susan replied. "I can't wait to get our marriage licence."

"Well I'll do everything I can to help." He told her. Just as he was heading into the back room to get his shirt, Susan followed him into the back room.

"You know, I could swear you were wearing the same clothes last night." She remarked. Flit shrugged.

"I hadn't noticed." He lied as casually as he could. He wasn't sure she'd be all that thrilled to hear that he had spent the night at Michelle's apartment. This whole business with Jarrod had made all of them think very carefully about what was important to them. In Flit's case, it had encouraged him to finally take RJ's advice and tell Michelle how he felt about her. Their lessons had become all but impossible, and he knew that he would have to tell her to clear the air. The situation with Jarrod though, had just given him some perspective. Life was so uncertain, that nerves were no reason not to take the chance.

He still couldn't believe that she had been feeling the same way about him. He could still remember every detail about their kiss in her apartment. It was easily the most amazing experience of his life, and it wasn't as if his had been a short life.

She had asked him to stay the night. Since her sister was so close to Jarrod, it had been hard for her to deal with his treatment. Now that the others knew, she was no longer bound by the Hippocratic Oath to keep his condition to herself. She needed someone to confide in while she helped him through his treatment.

He didn't want to tell Susan because when he said it in his mind, something just sounded so sleazy about the way it went down. Michelle had needed him to comfort her, and he had ended up spending the night. Nothing had happened, he had slept on the couch, but he wasn't sure that Susan would listen. He hadn't taken advantage of her. He had just sat with her as she confided in him how she felt about him, and finally took the opportunity to confide in someone what was going on in her mind since she had given Jarrod the news of his diagnosis. He looked back to Susan as he finished throwing on his over-shirt, realising he hadn't said anything in a while. "I just grabbed the first thing I could find off the floor."

Susan had interviewed so many people during her time as a cop that she could tell when someone was lying. She knew that there was something Flit wasn't telling her, but right now she had no desire to press the matter. What business was it of hers if he had found some comfort at a time like this?

"Well I guess I sometimes can't be bothered to look out a fresh outfit every morning." She responded with a shrug. "Listen, I need to go and collect an appointment card from the hospital. Would you mind holding the fort here until I get back?"

"Anything I can do to help." He assured her as she left. He made his way into the store and prepared for the day ahead. He couldn't help thinking about Michelle. The circumstances weren't ideal, but then none of this was. As much as he loved Michelle, he couldn't risk coming between her and Susan at a time like this. Right now the only thing that was important was helping Jarrod get better. As usual, the healer's happiness would have to wait.

Michelle arrived at the hospital, finding Susan already waiting outside her office. She knew that she was there to collect an appointment card for Jarrod, she just hadn't expected her to be waiting for her when she arrived for the start of her shift. It was still very early.

"You know you could wait on me getting my coat off sis." She teased Susan as she unlocked her office. "How's Jarrod?"

"He's still having a little trouble getting used to the chemo." She replied as Michelle showed her into her office. "He was pretty wiped out last night. I thought it was best to let him rest."

"It probably is." Michelle told her as she started to look through her desk for the appointment card, handing it to her. "How about you, how are you holding up?"

"I'm doing about as well as can be expected." She replied with a smile, sitting on the edge of Michelle's desk. "Everyone's been great."

"I know it doesn't make this go away, but I've learned one thing in all my years in medicine." Michelle told her, putting an arm around Michelle, holding her close. "It's at times like this that you see the best in people. It's at times like this that you see how much everyone cares."

"I guess that's true." Susan replied. "Thanks for this."

"Hey, it's my job." She told her reassuringly. "I've got him booked in for another treatment on Friday. If you want to be there when he has the treatment I can arrange that."

"That means a lot Chelle." Susan told her in response. "I know this can't be easy for you."

"It isn't. It's not recommended to treat a friend or family member. Normally I'd have switched him onto another doctor, but I know how much this all means to you." She assured her twin sister warmly. "I'll be there every step of the way."

"So who's there for you?" Susan asked her. "Everyone's kind of focusing on me and Jarrod right now. It can't be easy for you."

Michelle just smiled as she thought about Flit. He had been so supportive when he knew she was upset at the engagement party. He had found out from Jarrod the following day what was wrong. As much as he was concerned for Jarrod, he also wanted to be there for her. She couldn't have been prepared for what he had to say next.

She had found herself being drawn to him over the time they spent together, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to be around him, but at that time she needed someone that understood the impossible situation she was in. It was then that he had told her the one thing she never expected. She had told him that he loved her, and then he kissed her. In that moment, she knew she wasn't alone.

Flit had been amazing that night. Despite the moment they had shared, he understood that she wasn't ready to take things further, she couldn't stop thinking about Jarrod and Susan, and so he had been only too happy to just sit with her. He let her talk when she needed to, he held her when she wanted him to, and she just stayed with her. He had agreed to stay the night and talk for as long as she needed. It was exactly what she needed.

"I'll be fine sis." Michelle told her, turning from her and beginning to fix her hair for the beginning of her shift. As much as she needed Flit that night, she wasn't sure how to explain to Susan that he had spent the night. Nothing had happened between them, he had agreed to sleep on the couch. She just needed to know he was there with her. "You're the one I'm worried about."

"Look, just because I'm looking after Jarrod doesn't mean I'm not worried about you." She explained. "You shouldn't try to handle this alone."

Michelle paused for a second involuntarily, before carrying on getting ready. Susan noticed the gesture.

"You aren't handling this alone are you?" She asked. Michelle let out a sigh, she knew her sister had a habit of seeing right through her, she was used to interrogation techniques, and knew how to get information out of people. Her only hope was to try and play down what happened.

"I've been talking to Flit." She informed her sister. "Since he found out, he's been really supportive. He's dealt with situations like this before."

"Well I'm glad he's helping out." Susan told her. Her mouth hung open and she looked at Michelle as the pieces fell into place. "He was wearing the same clothes he was last night..."

"Susan..."

"You slept with him?" Susan asked her. Michelle buried her face in her hands.

"No, I didn't sleep with him." She replied gently. "He spent the night."

Michelle came over to Susan's side and held her hand. She had wanted to avoid this, the last thing she'd want is for Susan to think that Flit was taking advantage of the situation.

Susan got a little smirk on her face and laughed.

"Fran was convinced the two of you were into each other." She said dryly as she hugged her sister. "Why didn't you just say something?"

"I wasn't sure you'd understand." Michelle told her. "You have a lot on right now."

"That doesn't mean I don't want you to be happy." She assured her. "What happened?"

"This thing with Jarrod has hit us all hard. Flit came by to make sure I was alright." Michelle told her. "We got talking and he told me that he had been falling for me. That's why he's been having problems with our lessons."

"So what did you say?" Susan asked her. Michelle smiled at her.

"What could I say, I'm crazy about him." She admitted. "I have been for a while now, I was just too scared to say anything."

"You were scared?" Susan asked her a little sarcastically. "Michelle, in case you haven't noticed, you're pretty hot..."

"Of course you're just not saying that because we're identical twins right?" Michelle chuckled.

"Look, the point is what did you have to be worried about?" Susan asked her.

"I just felt like a schoolgirl with a crush on her teacher." Michelle sighed. She got a little smile on her face as she thought about that night again. "Look, I wanted to tell you, I just thought you had enough to worry about." Susan just pulled her into a huge hug, holding her tightly.

"Chelle, we could all do with some good news right about now." She replied cheerfully. "If Flit makes you happy, you should go for it."

"But..."

"Listen, I know the timing isn't ideal, but Jarrod and I know better than anyone, if you find something that makes you happy, then you should take a chance on it." She interrupted Michelle's half-hearted protest. "You never know what's going to happen."

"Thanks sis." Michelle replied softly. "I'm glad you're ok with this."

"Hey, just make sure you give me regular updates." Susan told her.

"I'm sure I can manage that." Michelle answered. "I love him."

Susan left the room with a renewed happiness. It wasn't ideal timing, but she was really happy that her sister had found someone she cared about so much. Michelle quickly called Flit as she realised that Susan was heading back to the store.

"Flit, its Michelle." She told him. "I just wanted to call and let you know. Susan knows about us."

"Oh." He replied after a long pause. "So should I be looking for a flak jacket?"

"She seems happy enough." Michelle reassured him. "I just wanted to warn you, she's probably going to grill you about what happened last night."

"Well maybe I need something to focus on to get me through this." He suggested. "Since Susan knows, do you think she'd mind if I came over tonight?"

"I don't know about her, but I know I'd like that." She told him. "I'm sure I could rustle up something to eat."

"That sounds great." He stated. "I'll come over about 7."

"Oh, one more thing Flit." She interrupted him. "Bring over your aromatherapy kit. My massage lessons have been sadly lacking lately."

"I think I can arrange that." He said with a smile. "I love you Michelle."

She paused as she heard him say those words. It felt as good as the first time she had heard it. Even over the phone his voice had a warm, sincere tone that let her know that he meant it. She couldn't help herself grinning as she heard it.

"I love you too." She replied, hanging up. She left her office, and made her way to the first ward where her residents were waiting to begin their shift. She just knew that today was going to be a good day. Susan had been right about one thing, Jarrod's condition had reminded them all that it was important to find every opportunity to be happy, and she knew she had found that with Flit.


	69. Something to Feel Happy About

About a week later, Jarrod was sitting on the couch in Susan's apartment, watching daytime dramas on television. His latest bout of chemotherapy had been a couple of days ago, and Flit had hooked him up with some serum to ward off the worst of the nausea, but he still felt thoroughly drained, sick and miserable.

Susan came into the room, raising his attention slightly. She was carrying some groceries and a few magazines. She crossed over to him and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Are you feeling any better this morning?" She asked him.

"A little bit." He responded as he furrowed his brows at the screen. "Okay, how many people here are having affairs?"

"Excuse me?" She asked him in confusion. He pointed to the screen.

"I'm positive that's the fourth person I've seen him kissing today." He explained. "And the second he's been in bed with. How do any of them trust each other? More importantly how do they get anything done when they're spending all their time having affairs? He's meant to be a lawyer!"

"He's a lawyer in this soap Jarrod." She informed him with a small chuckle. "The same actor's in the soap before it too. He's only having one affair in this one."

"I guess they all kind of run into each other if you watch them too long." He sighed, clicking off the TV. "I think it shows how lazy some of these script writers are if you can't tell one show from another."

"You're not meant to think about them that much Jarrod." She said to him, sitting next to him and putting an arm around him, pulling him into a hug. "They're crappy shows designed to fill a few minutes of the schedule. That's why they're on in the middle of the day when everyone's at work."

"Everyone but me." He grumbled. "Now I know why I never missed TV at the temple."

There was a small knock on the door, causing Susan to look around.

"I'll be there in a minute." She called across, getting up from the couch. "It's probably just Theo to go over the rota for the week."

Susan made her way to the door as Jarrod leaned forward and picked up a magazine, flicking through it absent-mindedly to find a remotely interesting article to read. Susan opened the door, finding a mail man standing before her.

"I have a recorded delivery for Susan Rhodes." He declared, handing her a card to sign. Susan quickly scribbled her signature, at which the mail man handed over a large, official looking brown envelope. Susan smiled as she saw the post mark. It had come from city hall.

"Jarrod, it's here!" She yelled, rushing back over to him and wrapping her arms around him over the back of the couch. "It's here!"

Jarrod threw down his magazine and smiled as she showed him the envelope. He took it off her and tore open the envelope. Pulling it out, he held it where they could both look at the simple, though official looking card as though it were the most precious thing in the world. It was their marriage licence. They finally had the permission of the state to get married.

"I'll bet that makes you feel a lot better." She said cheerfully. Jarrod reached over the back of the couch, and pulled her in to a long, deep kiss.

"It's better than any medicine in the world." He assured her.

"Now we can go ahead and start making some arrangements." She told him.

"I actually had something I wanted to run past you about that." He replied with a sly grin. He started to get up from the couch, causing Susan to rush around the couch to his side, a look of concern crossing her face.

"Jarrod..."

"There's no need to fuss over me Susan, I'm sick, I'm not an invalid." He assured her. "I was actually wanted to go out for a little fresh air. Would you like to go for a little drive?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" She asked him. "You only had your last treatment..."

"I'm fine Susan, I promise." He interrupted her, kissing her gently. He was touched by how worried she was about his condition, but right now he had something important to do. "I promise I'll lean on you if I need support, and I promise that if things get too much, I'll get you to bring me back. I just want to have a little time outside of a hospital or the apartment."

Susan looked at him with a little concern, but finally relented. He hadn't really seen much other than the apartment or the hospital for a while now. Every now and then they'd go to JKP or one of their friends would drop in for a visit to keep his spirits up, but other than that, he didn't really feel up to much. Today though, he had something important to attend to.

"Alright, but only if you promise you'll tell me to bring you home if you feel worse." She instructed him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes. "So where would you like to go?"

"It's been a while since I've seen the Fishers." He told her. "I'd like to go to The Heartland."

"I think we could manage that." Susan assured him. "I'll just get my car keys."

Meanwhile, up at the temple, Swoop was taking that day's classes. He had just finished with the lesson when Dominic came back from his early shift at JKP.

"So did the kids behave for you today?" He asked the Bat Master.

"They're still getting used to Master Leo not taking their lessons anymore." He answered with a slightly evil smirk. He gestured to a couple of students who looked to be more than a little stiff and sore. "I forgot how much fun it was handing out punishment drills."

"It looks like you're getting used to teaching again." Dominic laughed as he saw the students limping away, grumbling and moaning about being treated so harshly. "They definitely aren't used to your sadistic streak."

"Well Master Phant was my tutor." He informed him as they made their way to the Master's Chambers to the changing area. "If they had him as a teacher when he was young, they'd really know what sadism is. He once made me do 500 roundhouse kicks each way because I dropped my Jungle Fan. By the time I finished, my legs were like lead and I was so dizzy I couldn't walk straight for an hour."

"That's pretty harsh." Dominic agreed. "Lily always said he was a patient teacher."

"Let's just say he mellowed in his old age." Swoop chuckled. "Before he retired he made Master Finn look like a pussy cat."

He pulled off his training robe and dropped it into a basket to be taken for cleaning, and started mopping his neck and torso with a towel, before gathering his regular clothing.

"How's Jarrod?" He asked him.

"He's still feeling a little ill, but he's managing to stay positive." He said a little sadly. He was relieved that he hadn't contracted leukaemia himself, but in many ways that had only made him feel worse for Jarrod. His only thought when he heard Michelle tell him that he was in the clear was for himself, and he still felt guilty about that. "Michelle, Susan and Flit are all taking good care of him."

"You know you don't have to feel badly about the fact you aren't sick too." Swoop reminded him. "You can't blame yourself for being happy."

"Jarrod's going through so much." He sighed. "I know he and Susan are happy together, and everything's going great with Gabby...It just doesn't seem fair that they have this thing hanging over them when everything's going so well for me."

"Would it have made you any happier if you'd been sick too?" Swoop asked him. Dom shook his head.

"Then Gabby would have to deal with it." He replied quietly.

"But you would have preferred it if you had been sick and Jarrod was fine?" Swoop carried on. Dominic nodded.

"I'm the big brother." He reminded the Bat Master. "I'm meant to be the one that takes the hits for him."

"You know I think this is great." Swoop said in a laugh, raising a little surprise from Dominic. "Not Jarrod being sick, but the way you refer to Jarrod as your little brother. To think that it's just under two years since you didn't even know you had a brother. It says a lot about the two of you that you've become so close."

"I guess it does." Dominic responded. "It just comes naturally now. It doesn't seem like it's only been a couple of years."

"Jarrod's always been able to take a hit." Swoop reminded him. "He's strong, if anyone can get through this he can. Until then, you'll do the best thing you can for him."

"What's that?" Dominic asked him.

"You'll be his brother." Swoop answered as he pulled on his coat. He placed a hand on Dom's shoulder. "Just remember you aren't alone in this either."

"I appreciate that Swoop." He told him. "I really do."

Meanwhile, Susan pulled up her car just outside the Fisher's house in the middle of their farm land a short way from the city. It looked to be in much better repair than the first time she had seen it, and the crops were doing well. They had also since invested in a few chickens and some pigs which Mr. Fisher was tending to as they pulled up. Susan got out the car as Mr. Fisher looked up and smiled, seeing Jarrod in the car.

"Jarrod, it's been ages!" He yelled out, approaching the car. As Jarrod opened the door and stepped out, Bill's smile slipped. He could see that something was not right with him, he didn't seem to have the same strength in his stance, and he looked a lot paler than he normally did. "Is everything alright?"

"Are the girls here?" Jarrod asked him.

"Ashley moved to LA a couple of months ago." He told him. "Mary's at college there. It's only me and Laura here."

"Is it alright if we come inside?" Jarrod asked him as Susan came to his side. "I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Of course Jarrod, anything." He replied as he showed them inside. Bill's wife Laura was busy cooking when they arrived, and looked around, seeing Jarrod.

"Jarrod, it's great to see you again." She greeted him warmly.

"He came to talk to us about something honey." He interrupted her. He gave her a little look, he had already figured out something was wrong. He and his wife sat at the table with him. Susan joined them, taking Jarrod's hand in hers and lacing her fingers with his.

"I have something to ask you, but before I do, I need to tell you something important." He began. "I've been diagnosed with Leukaemia."

The Fishers just looked at him dumbfounded for a second. They had known Jarrod since he was a child; he had played with their own kids at one time. They couldn't believe that this had happened.

"Is there anything we can do?" Mr Fisher asked him sympathetically. Jarrod smiled at him.

"I'm getting treatment. My doctor's confident we've caught it early." He informed them, taking comfort in their support. "She thinks I have a good chance of making it into remission. Just in case though, I've had a will made up. I don't have much; the only thing I've instructed is that if I don't make it, then the farm goes to you with no further payments."

"Jarrod, we don't want the farm that way." Laura told him as she tried hard not to cry.

"I don't want to give you the farm that way, but it's important to me that you have it. That's why I used my trust fund to buy it for you." He told them. "I want to be with Susan for good, but it's important to me you get the farm. Whatever happens, it's yours."

He handed them a letter he had written that Susan and Michelle had signed as witnesses to his wishes.

"I also wanted to tell you that I've asked Susan to marry me." He informed them. "We got our marriage licence through this morning."

"Congratulations." Bill managed to find the strength to say. "We had a feeling there was something special between you."

"Because of the circumstances we want to get married as soon as possible." He told them, pulling Susan in closer to himself. "We were talking on the way over here. We'd like to get married two weeks from now."

"If there's anything we can do to help, you only have to ask." Laura stated without hesitation.

Jarrod smiled as he said this, this was the one part he hadn't talked about with Susan yet, he was keeping it as a surprise.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, there is something I would like." He began, looking into Susan's eyes deeply. "I have a lot of great memories here, it's one of the few places I have great memories. If it's alright with Susan, I'd like to hold the ceremony here."

Susan smiled as she heard this. Their first kiss had taken place on the farm, shortly after he had taken her for her first horse ride. She loved the farm almost as much as he did. Having grown up in the city her whole life, she found the fields beautiful, and she loved the still and the peace of the place.

"I'd love that too." Susan told him.

"Well that's settled then." Mr Fisher announced without a second thought. "Jarrod, we've known you for years. We owe you everything for getting the farm back. You're more than welcome to hold the ceremony here."

"Thanks Bill, that really means a lot to me." Jarrod told him with a contented smile. He turned once more to his fiancée as she smiled at him. "Thank you too."

"It'll be beautiful here." She told him. "I can't wait."

Back at JKP, Lily was busy changing David while RJ went through some paperwork. Dominic knocked the door before quietly making his way inside.

"Hi Dom." Lily greeted him, hefting her son into her arms and gently walking around the room with him. "Gabby's shift should be finishing soon."

"Are you taking her out?" RJ asked him. "I guess you want to get a little more time with her before she starts college."

"Actually Jarrod called me and said he wants to meet with us here." He responded, looking confused. "He said you already knew."

"RJ?" Lily asked him. "Did you forget again?"

"Sorry, financial period always fries my brain cells." He responded, smacking his forehead as he remembered the call earlier in the day. "I totally forgot."

"What am I going to do with your daddy?" She cooed to her son as she gentle bobbed him in her arms. "He'd forget his head if it wasn't attached."

Fran came up from the restaurant, closely followed by Theo, Camille and Casey, who was carrying Holly.

"I guess you're all here for the meeting too." Lily commented, giving RJ a little glare.

"OK, so I forgot!" He groaned. "Would everyone please lay off the guy who just spent the last four hours going through a month's worth of receipts?

"OK, I closed the restaurant." Gabby told them as she arrived upstairs with the three Masters, crossing over to Dom and holding him closely. "We'll clean up after we're done."

"We'll all pitch in." Master Finn assured her.

Susan and Jarrod came into the room a short time later. They were holding each other closely.

"OK, so what's going on?" Dominic asked them. "What was so important we all had to meet so suddenly?"

"We have to wait." Susan told Jarrod. "My sister isn't here yet."

"Well I am now." Michelle told them as she and Flit came into the apartment. "So what is going on?"

"Well you all know we've been waiting for our marriage licence to come through." Jarrod began, holding Susan warmly. "It came through this morning."

"Well that's great news." Master Finn chirped cheerfully. "So we can start on arrangements for the ceremony?"

"We already have." Susan stated, fidgeting nervously. "We've already got a venue and a date."

The others all looked among each other, a little surprised to hear this. How could they have arranged a venue so quickly?

"When?" Casey asked, giving his sister a little look.

"We're going to get married on The Heartland." Susan told them. She and Jarrod held each other for support as they prepared for the next part. "We're getting married two weeks from today."

"TWO WEEKS!" The others all yelled together, staring at them in disbelief. Susan and Jarrod shrank a little sheepishly. They had expected them to be surprised that things were moving so quickly. The whole room sank into silence as they all waited for someone to break the silence. Finally, Casey handed Holly over to his wife and approached the happy couple. They stood nervously as he stood close, remembering the first time they put him in a position like this, back when they had thought she was pregnant. Jarrod half expected Casey to attack him again, and he certainly didn't look happy about this turn of events.

"A lot of work and organisation goes into a wedding." He sighed as he looked down, covering his eyes and shaking his head weakly. He looked up at them, before looking to his sister and smiled. "If we've only got two weeks, I guess we better get started."


	70. Some Preparations

**A/N:** WOW! When I started this, I had no idea I'd end up hitting Chapter 70! Thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this!

Garden Mary, I can't remember if I answered your question, so just in case, here it is. The Heartland WAS destroyed when Carnisoar took Jarrod back in time. He never raised money to help them save the farm, and so the bank foreclosed on their mortgage. However, earlier in this story, I mentioned that Jarrod's adoptive parents set up a trust fund in his name which matured shortly after he was free of Dai Shi (He was over 21!). Because he still felt guilty about what happened to the Fishers, he used his trust fund to buy the farm and then he gave it to them. They insisted on paying him back a little at a time, even though he didn't want it. Anyway, by now they've been back on the farm for a while, and so they've been fixing it up over that time.

The next couple of days went by quickly in a storm of telephone calls for Jarrod and Susan. She had to phone her mum and tell her that she was planning to get married in less than a fortnight. She knew she would get a lecture from her about being so spontaneous and moaning about being responsible in allowing people time to make plans, but she knew that would be better than risking the fallout if she didn't tell her. Her mom would never forgive her if she missed one of her daughters getting married.

Jarrod hung up the phone to his adoptive parents. As much as they had never really shown him much affection during his life, and they hadn't spoken since his discovery that they had not been his true parents, he still acknowledged that they had done a lot for him. Despite the lack of any real affection, they had still raised and cared for him. They had even cared enough to set up the trust fund in his name he had used to buy back The Heartland, and so he at very least showed them the respect to inform them of his wedding, even if they wouldn't be coming.

He looked over to where Susan was only just able to get the phone back to her ear. Her mom had obviously stopped yelling long enough for her to say something.

"Look, I know it's short notice, I'm really sorry but we're really sure we're doing the right thing." She smiled a little as she heard the response. "That really means a lot. Thanks mom. I look forward to you coming here."

She hung up the phone, taking a seat by her fiancé and kissed him softly.

"I guess your mom gave you a hard time." He commented. Susan held him closely.

"She isn't really happy about the time frame." She informed him. "I guess I did only give her ten days notice to come to Ocean Bluff. It's just as well she retired last year, I don't think she'd have forgiven me if she couldn't have been there."

Jarrod gave her a weak little smile as he reached for some herbal tea. Since his latest bout of chemo a couple of days earlier, he had been taking a lot of Flit's remedies to help him with his nausea. Susan felt a little badly as she realised what she had said.

"I'm sorry; I know you'd love your dad to be there." She told him.

"He's not come back since I defeated Dai Shi." He sighed, taking a long drink. "He wanted me and Jarrod to get on with our lives and not rely on him. I'd still love him to be there though."

"It's only natural. I know I'd have loved it if dad could have been there." She told him. "I know I can ask someone else to do it, but I'd have really loved dad to be there to give me away."

"Well at least your mom will be there." Jarrod reminded her. "Our family will all be there, that's all that really matters."

"I guess you're right." Susan agreed. "Michelle's already agreed to be my maid of honour, and Gabby pretty much screamed the place down when I made her bridesmaid."

"You wanted to get in good with your future sister-in-law?" Jarrod asked her.

"Well since Dom is your best man, I thought it would be a nice gesture." Susan told him. "You do know the tradition about the best man and the bridesmaid right?"

"I knew there was a reason I loved you." He replied, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss, turning her over onto the couch, trapping her beneath him. Susan laughed as she saw her position.

"You seem to be feeling a lot brighter." She remarked, reaching around behind his head.

"What can I say? Between your sister and Flit, I've been in pretty good hands." He told her. He lay there gazing at her for a couple of minutes before pulling down into another warm kiss.

"You know you do have a fitting for a tux soon." She reminded him between kisses.

"He can wait." He responded. "This is more important."

Meanwhile, over at JKP, Lily's father, Michael, was running through menu ideas with RJ in the corner while Gabby and Lily tended to the tables. Michael's wife, Megan, was upstairs tending to the three children.

"Why are you so insistent on the prawn Vaul au Vent's?" Michael asked for seemingly the thousandth time. "Do you have any idea how many we'll have to make?"

"Susan loves shell fish." RJ reminded him in an exasperated sigh. As part of their wedding gift, he had offered to provide the catering for the wedding. He knew there would not be many guests, but the arrangements were already causing a headache. He was determined to avoid any jibes about his cooking, and provide something other than pizza pasta and chicken wings. Of course collaborating with his not-so-silent partner, Michael, was leading to some arguments. "

"They need to be cooked at a lower temperature for longer than any of the other pastries." Michael reminded him. "That means we need to use another oven."

"We're not exactly short of ovens here." RJ reminded him, gesturing to the ovens in the wall behind him.

"You want to cook everything here?" Michael asked him. "I thought the wedding was at The Heartland."

"The wedding's there, but they want to hold the reception here. It's much closer to the hotel they've booked." He informed his father-in-law.

"Look, I've cooked for large functions before. When I was a marine we had to take turns running the mess hall when we couldn't get the catering corp. onto the base." He stated.

"I've been a professional chef for years!" RJ answered.

"Guys, would you keep the arguing down to a dull roar?" Lily complained as she came over to their table. "This doesn't exactly create a peaceful dining experience. Two tables just left."

They looked around, realising that she was right. They looked at each other a little sheepishly as they accepted the reprimand from the woman that created a bond between them. Megan had already kicked them out of the apartment when their arguments had disturbed David's nap earlier.

"Sorry beautiful, I guess I'm not used to being told what to do in the kitchen." RJ said apologetically. "I've been running the show here a little too long."

"I guess I need to get used to having a partner too." Michael added. "The business world is not the same as the battlefield."

"Just try to play a little more nicely." Lily instructed them. "I wouldn't want to have to put you both in time out!"

As she walked away, Michael looked to RJ, clearly a little amused at the idea of being told off by his daughter.

"Time out?" He asked him with a small laugh.

"She's hitting the baby books a little hard." RJ explained. "I guess we were acting like a couple of kids."

"I guess we were." Michael agreed. "As an idea for the shell-fish, how about king prawn goujons?"

"That way we could do them in the fryer." RJ said with a little smile as he saw the plan forming. "That would free up another oven and the prep would be less, meaning that we would save on space."

"All you'd need is some tartar sauce dip." Michael told him.

"Actually I learned a great little sweet chilli sauce dip that goes great with prawns when I worked for Charlie." He responded. "I could whip some up in a couple of minutes to let you try it."

"That sounds like it would be great." Michael commented. "Now, what are we thinking for buffet sandwiches?"

Fran came in at that point with a huge grin on her face. She was not exactly large by this point, but her waistline had started to expand as her pregnancy entered the third month. Lily and Gabby came over to her.

"How are things going with the flowers?" Lily asked her. Since Theo was beginning to get a little wary about how much heavy work she did, she had been assigned to arranging for flowers to be delivered. As beautiful as the Heartland was, they still wanted to make sure they did something special for the bouquets and the button holes.

"I swear I could just scream!" She answered as she flopped down into a booth, slamming down a large collection of folders. "Every florist in town is either telling me it can't be done in time, laughing in my face for even asking or charging a fortune! Whose brilliant idea was it to arrange a wedding in two weeks again?"

"Jarrod's." Lily reminded her, taking a seat with her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"The stress of phoning every florist in town is frying my brain cells." She muttered. "The hormones aren't helping at all. This isn't one of my cheerful days."

"I'd kind of noticed." Lily chuckled gently. "Hey didn't you have a scan recently?"

Fran reached into her pocked and pulled out a black and white ultrasound, handing it to Lily.

"I couldn't stop crying when I heard the heartbeat." Fran told her with a gleeful little grin. "The doctor said the picture's really clear."

"It's a lot clearer than my first scan." Lily stated. "I can see an arm!"

"I know I've wanted this for so long, but it's still a little weird to think there's a little person inside me." Fran replied cheerfully. She turned back to her files, a little more cheerful now that she had been concentrating on the baby. "Anyway, after calling all 27 florists in this city..."

"Whoa, there are 27 florists in Ocean Bluff?" Lily asked her. Fran just shrugged.

"I guess you could say it's a growing industry." Lily groaned at the pathetic joke as Fran fished out the quote she was looking for. "Anyway, I found one florist in town that would cover our order and not charge us a King's ransom for it. He's put together a nice little package for us."

"Let me see what you have." Lily implored her, taking the sheet from her.

Dom was pacing impatiently outside the suit hire shop, waiting for Jarrod to arrive. He muttered something under his breath as Jarrod finally arrived by cab.

"The tailor was starting to get a little restless." Dominic told him. "You were due here ten minutes ago."

"Sorry, I got held up." Jarrod said with a smile and a slight spring in his step. "I'm sure the tailor will forgive me."

"You seem a lot brighter today." Dominic responded with a knowing grin as he started to get the picture why Jarrod might be late.

"What reason is there not to be cheerful?" He asked. "In a little under a fortnight, I'm going to marry an amazingly beautiful woman."

"Well I'm glad to see you feeling better." Dominic told him. "It's been too long."

"I'll agree with that assessment." Jarrod replied as they made their way over to the counter. "Sorry I'm late, is it alright if we get started now?"

Casey was busy in his gym, working out. His classes had finished a little early that day, and he was taking advantage of the extra time to work out. Today was Phant's turn to take the students at the temple, tomorrow was his day. As he worked on a drill against the wooden man, Susan came into the gym watching him practice.

"I remember watching dad practice that drill when we were kids." She said, interrupting him. "I first saw him do that when I was about 7. I never understood how he could make his hands move so fast."

"I remember thinking the same thing." Casey replied as he turned towards his older sister. "He taught it to men when I was 8. I used to practice it all the time. One day I was so determined to do it as fast as he did that I practiced till my arms were bruised to hell. Mom yelled at him for hours that night."

"I remember that." She said in a small laugh. "You really are a lot like him you know."

"I idolised him." Casey replied. "I spent most of my life trying to be just like him. I'm not surprised I ended up a little like him."

"Would you like to go a couple of rounds?" Susan asked him, gesturing to the sparring mats. "I'm not exactly a Master like you, but Jarrod's shown me a lot."

"I guess I could teach you a lesson or two." He teased her as he made his way onto the mats. Susan pulled off her jacket and hung it up, before joining him and pulling into a guard.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you ended up favouring the Lion Technique." He commented as he noted her stance. The two siblings circled each other for a moment, sizing each other up. Casey lunged forward, throwing a couple of light punches and kicks her way, all of which she parried and returned, though neither of them really managed to land a blow.

"I stopped training for quite a while, but I was amazed how much I remembered." She told him. "Jarrod really reminded me how much I used to love my lessons."

"Why did you stop?" Casey asked her as he dodged a couple of techniques, before pulling away a safe distance.

"Unlike you, I wasn't really passionate about Kung Fu." She informed him. "It was spending time with dad. When he died, I kind of lost the love for it. It just didn't seem the same to me."

"I always felt close to dad when I trained." Casey admitted as he surged forward. She managed to keep pace with him as he threw a few attacks. "That's why it was so important to me to keep it up. That's why I spent almost every penny I had on gym fees."

"I guess I kind of knew that." She replied as he let up for a second. They both caught a breath for a second. "Do you fancy taking it up a notch?"

"I guess we could do that." Casey replied. They threw themselves at each other, and before long it was almost impossible to see their movements. They were going too quickly to truly see each punch or kick coming, they were reacting purely on instinct and training. Susan pulled away a little, focusing her energies and cast forward her lioness animal spirit. Casey countered with his tiger spirit, dashing it aside, though being careful to use only enough energy to dissipate her spirit without injuring it.

"You almost had me." He told her with a smile.

"Please, I know you were holding back." She informed him. "I never expected to be up to your level."

"Your lioness spirit is a lot stronger than the last time I saw you use it." He told her as he smiled and relaxed his guard. Susan did the same in a wordless understanding that their match was over. "I still remember seeing it for the first time when I attacked Jarrod."

"Were you surprised?" Susan asked. "Were you surprised it wasn't a tiger?"

"I was at the time, but then you know I was pretty mad back then." He told her. "Master Mao told me when I joined Pai Zhuq that a person's animal spirit takes on a form that suits the recipient's personality, what's in their heart. I know I still gave you and Jarrod a hard time after that, but I was just worried about you. I know that Jarrod would never hurt you intentionally; I just couldn't get the image of what he did to Camille out of my mind when you started dating. I know it wasn't really him, I know it was Dai Shi but I just couldn't help it."

"I know you were only looking out for me. I appreciate it, but I love Jarrod." She stated. "You understand that, you're ok with it aren't you?"

"I still worry," he replied, "but only because I'm your brother. I'd worry no matter who you or Michelle ended up with. It's just in my nature. I am glad to see you happy though. I know you and Jarrod are made for each other."

"I'm really glad to hear you say that." She responded, beginning to stroke her neck a little nervously. "There's something really important I want to ask you to do for me."

"Anything I can do to help." He assured her. Susan looked up to him, her eyes betraying her nerves at asking.

"As much as I'd have loved it if things could be different, the thing is that Dad can't be there when I get married." She began quietly. "I was wondering if you would give me away."

Casey took a seat on a weigh bench, taking in what she had asked him to do. He had accepted that she and Jarrod were together, and he had even accepted that they were getting married, but he wasn't completely into the idea. He was intending to sit back and watch the wedding; he had never intended to take part.

He looked up into his sister's hopeful face and smiled. He couldn't deny her. He knew this was where her heart was set. He knew how important it was to have him with her on this one.

"I would be honoured." He replied, standing up and drawing her into a long, tight hug.

"Thank you Casey." She whispered gently as they held each other. "Thank you."


	71. The Last Week

There was only a week to go to the wedding by the time Mrs. Rhodes arrived in Ocean Bluff. Stepping off the train, she found Michael waiting for her, holding up a placard bearing her name.

"I guess you're the one that's here to take me to the restaurant." She surmised. "I'm Diane."

"Michael." He introduced himself. "I'm Lily's dad."

"Oh right, Casey had mentioned you had left the services." She responded as he picked up her bag and led her towards the parking zone. "So how are things going with the arrangements?"

"Well I can't say things aren't a little rushed." Michael conceded with a shrug. "We've all been running around like maniacs to get everything ready in time."

"I can understand them moving quickly on this, but I just wish she had given me a little more notice." Diane grumbled a little. "She's the first of my daughters to get married."

"For what it's worth, I think it would be special for her if she got married in a dumpster as long as she's marrying Jarrod." Michael assured her. "I'm amazed by how much his condition's improved since they started getting all of this ready."

"How is he?" Mrs. Rhodes asked him.

"He's still a little run down, but he's a lot better than we'd have expected." Michael told her. "Even Michelle's impressed."

"I can't believe all of my family's moved here." Mrs. Rhodes commented. "I knew they would all move on eventually."

"It's never easy when your kids move on." He agreed. "I missed a lot of Lily's life."

"I guess we all have to let go at some point." She replied as they pulled out of the car park. "So how's life in Ocean Bluff now?"

"I love my new home." He told her. "I get to see little David pretty much every day, Lily and I are getting along really well. I'm even starting to get used to working in a normal job now."

"That all sounds great." Mrs Rhodes stated. She couldn't wait to see her children or her granddaughter again. Things had just become so quiet back in San Francisco. At one time it was rare that a day went by without one of her kids coming around. She had missed them dreadfully.

Meanwhile, Jarrod and Susan arrived in JKP, finding Michelle and Flit having a quiet lunch in one of the corner booths. They crossed over, taking a seat with them.

"Sorry we weren't here sooner." Susan said apologetically as she sat down. "Captain recovery here insisted on doing some exercises this morning. I had to make him take a shower afterwards."

"What can I say; it's been ages since I felt up to a few exercises." Jarrod protested. "It was only some light exercises."

"Jarrod, after you finished doing sit-ups you looked like you'd run the New York marathon." She replied.

"Still, it's great that you're feeling so much better." Michelle stated, taking a sip of her soda. "I'm really impressed by your recovery. I wouldn't suggest working too hard though."

"It's alright; your sister just worries too much." Jarrod assured her. "She's exaggerating..."

"Jarrod, I had to help you up." Susan reminded him. "You have to take it easy. It's great that you're feeling better, but you don't want to risk making yourself ill because you're impatient."

"But..."

"I know you hate sitting around, but I want you in decent shape for the wedding." She told him as she pulled into him gently, whispering in his ear. "We're already missing out on a honeymoon; you wouldn't want us to miss out on our wedding night too would you?"

"OK, it's probably just as well mom isn't here yet." Michelle giggled a little mischievously. "I think that's the kind of mental image she could probably live without."

"It is a little more than I want to think about." Flit said with a slight shake of the head. "It's bad enough she's coming in on the world's most rushed wedding preparations."

"Well we couldn't wait, could we?" Susan asked him, kissing her fiancé deeply. Michelle and Flit just exchanged a little glance and groaned.

"Could we have some menus before we lose our appetite?" Flit asked Gabby as she passed. Gabby handed them a couple of menus, turning in time to see Michael and Diane arriving.

"Mrs. Rhodes, it's great to see you again!" Gabby greeted her excitedly. "How was your trip?"

"It was a little long." She responded as she joined her daughters. "It's good to see my girls again though."

"Mom, do you have to do that?" Susan grumbled as she greeted her mother with a hug. "I'm a grown woman."

"You know that you'll always be my kids." Diane reminded her in a slightly accusatory tone. Susan had expected this, she already knew her mom wasn't especially happy about her trying to arrange a wedding in such a short time frame, even though she did like Jarrod and knew how much they loved each other. "How are you feeling Jarrod?"

"I'm feeling pretty good all things considered." He replied. "The treatments are unpleasant to say the least."

"Well you have a check up in a couple of days." Michelle reminded him. "We should have some idea of how far your treatment's progressed."

"In the meantime, we still have a few things to arrange." Diane continued. "Where do we stand as far as the venue's concerned?"

"We decided we're going to hold the ceremony at The Heartland, and bring everyone back here for the reception." Jarrod informed her. "RJ, Michael and Lily are dealing with the food. Megan said she'll mind the kids while they're working."

"Fran's sorted out the flowers for the bouquets and the button holes." Susan chipped in. "Jarrod and Dom have already arranged their suits, and my dress will be delivered to the apartment a couple of days before the ceremony."

"We've got the marriage licence." Jarrod continued. "We also have the booking confirmation for our hotel room for after the ceremony. Gabby's talked her dad into arranging a car for us."

"I'm impressed. You've arranged a lot more than I thought you would have." Mrs Rhodes complimented them. "You've almost got everything covered."

"Almost?" Susan asked her mother. "I can't think of anything."

"I know we're missing a few of the bells and whistles, but we're happy keep things simple." Jarrod told her.

"Well I can think of one thing you've forgotten about." Diane sighed.

"Mom, we don't mind if we don't have a honeymoon arranged, we can go once Jarrod gets the all clear." Susan told her. "There isn't anything we haven't..."

"Who's going to read the ceremony?" Mrs. Rhodes interrupted her daughter. Both Susan and Jarrod looked at each other, their eyes wide in disbelief. They couldn't believe they had made a mistake like that. They had been so busy arranging everything else. They hadn't arranged for anyone registered by the state to oversee the ceremony. Without that, their wedding would mean nothing.

"Great, how are we going to arrange a registrar in a week?" Susan shrieked. "I can't believe out of everything we could have thought of, the one thing we forget is the bloody registrar!"

"Look, it's fine; we'll call the town hall and see if they have anyone that's free on that day." Michelle said reassuringly. "If that doesn't work, we can start checking out the ministers, or the hospital chaplain. He performs weddings and baptisms in the hospital at the last minute all the time."

"Look, we have to keep thinking positively." Jarrod told them, getting up from his seat and kissing Susan's cheek reassuringly. "I'll go upstairs and call the town hall to start chasing up registrars."

"I'll call the churches." Flit told them, heading upstairs with Jarrod. "Hopefully between the two of us we should sort something out."

"Gabby, don't bother taking our order!" Susan said in a panic, grabbing her things. "We need to make some phone calls!"

"I'll help you." Michelle rushed out, grabbing her cell phone and left the restaurant. They arrived upstairs in the apartment, finding Lily and Megan playing with the kids.

"Hey guys, I thought you were having lunch." Lily stated as they arrived. "How are you Mrs. Rhodes?"

"I'm not too bad." She replied. "Sorry but we've no time to catch up, we need to make a lot of phone calls."

"What for?" She asked. "I thought most of the arrangements had already been made."

"We only forgot to arrange someone to oversee the ceremony." Jarrod grumbled. "Now we need to call around everyone in town if we want this wedding to mean anything."

"I'll just get the telephone directories." Lily told them, rummaging around in a side board for the phone books. "We'll help you any way we can."

Casey finished up his turn training the students at the temple, dismissing the students at the end of their lesson. Master Finn arrived as the students quickly dispersed. Casey got a small chuckle as he saw the slightly fearful looks from some of the students as they left.

"I guess they still haven't recovered from the trauma of your last class." Casey remarked as the students fled.

"It feels good to know that I can instil a bit of fear in them." He laughed. "You should remember how much I love to torture my students."

"Well if I ever want to cure them of their fear of you, all I have to do is show them a video of you playing with David." Casey replied. "I remember thinking it was cute when you sang him a lullaby."

"Well we all have to have our little soft moments." Finn stated. "Grandchildren don't count."

"So what can I do for you?" Casey asked him, taking a seat on a bench. Master Finn joined him.

"I heard about what you agreed to do for Susan." Master Finn told him. "You didn't have to do that."

"I kind of did." Casey answered as he grabbed a towel. "I've been more than a little bit of a baby over the whole Jarrod situation from the start."

"Not really, you've always come through for her when it counts." Master Finn reminded him. "You encouraged her to get back with him when they were having problems. You agreed to help them when they told you all they were getting married, and you agreed to do this for her."

"I just worried about her, but I can see how much he means to her." Casey told him. "She told me it would mean a lot to her if I gave her away. I couldn't turn her down."

"Well I'm really proud of you." Master Finn told him. "I'm sure it'll mean the world to Jarrod that you're standing by her like that."

"I can't believe how strong they've both been through all this." Casey commented as he breathed a sigh. "I know I'd have been in bits if anything was wrong with Camille."

"We always find strength to be there for those we love." Master Finn reminded him.

Back at JKP, The party were busy making phone calls in a frantic attempt to secure a registrar. Susan swore loudly and threw her phone down onto the table in a fit of temper.

"Susan, there's children in the room." Her mother reprimanded her for her language.

"Sorry mom, this thing's just really upsetting me." She complained. "I've just spent the last three quarters of an hour on the phone, most of it on hold just to be told that there isn't a single registrar in the whole city that's free on Thursday!"

"No one?" Her mother asked.

"Not one!" She moaned. "Why did I never think about who I was going to get to sign the register?"

"Well I haven't found a minister yet, but there are a couple of other churches I could try." Jarrod told her.

"OK, it's slightly out of the box, but I'm on the phone to a rabbi who's free on the right day." Flit suggested.

"Flit, we're not Jewish!" Susan reminded him. "I'm pretty sure that's an important detail in this kind of thing."

"Unfortunately the hospital Chaplain's busy that day." Michelle informed her sister as she hung up the phone. "I really tried, but we've had quite a few births recently."

"So there's not one person who can perform a marriage ceremony in the whole city?" Susan asked a little incredulously, holding her face in her hands. "This is totally messed up! I can't believe..."

"The day is saved!" Lily announced, turning from the computer. "Guys, I've solved all your problems! The wedding is back on track."

"How could you possibly have sorted out this?" Susan asked her as she held Jarrod for comfort. "Do you know a registrar?"

"Well, not exactly." Lily said as the printer suddenly sprang into life. She pulled a certificate from the printer and handed it to them. "By the power invested in me by the State of California, I am now entitled to pronounce you man and wife."

"You got ordained online?" Jarrod asked her. Lily nodded in response.

"I remembered hearing about it from a magazine a while ago." Lily told them. "Apparently a lot of people are getting their friends to hear their vows. I figured if we couldn't find someone to perform the ceremony, I may as well do it myself."

"Lily you're a lifesaver!" Susan shrieked, wrapping her arms around her. "I love you! I could just kiss you!"

"Well I think your fiancé would prefer it if you kissed him instead." Lily laughed as Susan finally released her. "I'm glad I could help."

"This really means a lot to us Lily, you really saved our butts." Jarrod assured her. "Are you sure about this?"

"Hey, I'd be honoured." Lily told him. "I'll be happy to do this for you."

"Well it looks like we finally have everything in place." Mrs. Rhodes stated. "Well, almost everything anyway."

"Oh God, what have we forgotten now?" Susan asked, her eyes full of dread. "What have we forgotten?"

Mrs. Rhodes got an evil little grin on her face, taking amusement in her daughter's panic.

"We need to sort you out with a bachelorette party." She responded. "I'm pretty sure the guys will want to arrange something for Jarrod."

"Well after today I think arranging that will be a lot less stressful." Michelle replied, putting an arm around her sister. "Come on sis; let's talk about what you want to do before you're no longer a free woman."


	72. The Bachelorette Party

Michelle was in her office, just getting changed at the end of her shift. It had been a whirlwind couple of days spent between her work at the hospital and making arrangements for Susan's bachelorette party.

Just as she finished getting changed, an assistant came through from the haematology department, carrying a file. Turning around, she shrieked and jumped back in fright as she noticed she wasn't alone.

"Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack!" She yelled. "I was just about to go..."

"It's alright; I just wanted to give you this file." He told her. "The Haematology lab just told me to bring it down, I'm sure it's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."

"Thanks." She replied, taking the file from him and laying it on top of her in tray. "I really need to be going."

"I guess you really should be." Dr. Ramsey stated as he arrived in the room. The assistant left, leaving them together. "I guess its only tradition that the maid of honour turns up to the bachelorette party."

"I guess that's true." She replied, sitting on the desk, laying her jacket down over her in tray. "It's been a bit of a crazy week. I still can't believe my little sister's getting married in two days."

"It still cracks me up that you refer to your twin sister as your little sister." He chuckled. "You were born on the same day remember?"

"There's still almost half an hour between us." She responded. "Mom always said if we had given her an easy time in labour, there wouldn't have been four years between us and Casey."

"Well I hope you enjoy yourself." He told her as he turned to leave. "Just try not to be too hung over when you get here tomorrow."

"No promises." She told him cheerfully as she grabbed her jacket and left her office. She was looking forward to seeing her sister and her friends enjoying themselves ahead of the big day. She was so lost in her daydreaming of the night ahead that she didn't even look at the name on the file she had been given. It was Jarrod's.

Dominic had finished with the students early that day, and knowing that none of them would be in any mood to take the classes for the next couple of days, the students left with a somewhat more cheerful outlook borne more out of the prospect of a few days off than any genuine excitement that the Temple Master was getting married.

He made his way to the Master's quarters, finding his wash-bowl already filled with warm water. He smiled as he noticed this; there weren't many people who would come into the Master's chambers, and even less that would enter his room.

"I guess you're feeling a lot better bro." He said as he turned to see Jarrod sitting on the edge of the bed behind him.

"I felt pretty good." He informed him. "I actually jogged most of the way here. I still felt so good when I got here that I decided to sort out your wash bowl."

"It's just great to see you feeling that good." Dom replied as he pulled off his robe, beginning to wash himself. "We wouldn't want you to feel ill for your bachelor party."

"I'm really looking forward to it." Jarrod told him cheerfully. "I can't believe there's only two days left."

"I can't believe you managed to put a wedding together inside two weeks!" Dom laughed.

"There was that little scare a couple of days ago with the registrar." Jarrod reminded him as he handed Dom a towel. "Other than that, we've managed to get through this with surprisingly few dramas. I can't wait till the wedding."

"Well you're going to have to wait until at least tonight is over." He responded as he started looking out a shirt to wear. "You're going to have a blast, I know it!"

"Why does that statement worry me?" Jarrod asked nervously. "What do you have planned?"

"Trust me; you're going to love it." Dominic assured him. "I've got it all worked out."

"That's exactly what scares me." Jarrod told him as Dominic finished getting dressed. "Come on, let's get going. You can fill me in on the way."

Susan came down into the store from her apartment into the store as Flit was finishing closing up for the night. She was wearing an elegant, black silk cocktail dress for the evening, and had taken a lot more care over her hair and her make-up than she usually did. Flit looked at her a little awe-struck.

"Wow, you look amazing!" He complimented her as she arrived.

"Thanks." She replied with a little blush. "I guess I don't really spend much time on my appearance most days. That was always more Michelle's kind of thing."

"Well maybe you should, you look great." He assured her warmly.

"Meaning I don't usually?" Susan asked him, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him intently. Flit started to back away a little as he realised what he had said and realised how it could have been taken. It was meant as a compliment, but it could easily be taken the wrong way and appear to be an insult.

"I didn't mean you don't look good normally, you always look good..."

"Just not great?" Susan asked him, advancing on him. Flit backed away as far as he could, backing into the counter. She saw Michelle arriving in the store behind him, and gave her a little look, communicating her thoughts.

"No, I mean yes, I mean...of course I think you're beautiful, you and Michelle are identical twins..."

"So that's why you go out with me?" Michelle asked from the door. As Flit turned around, he saw her giving the same harsh stare her sister had. She crossed her arms in front of herself defiantly. "You think my sister's pretty so you go out with me because I look like her?"

"No...well yes...but...uh..." He stammered incoherently as he switched his gaze between both of the Rhodes sisters. He found himself being backed into a corner, shrinking away from them both. "I think your sister's pretty..."

"But only when I make an effort." Susan interrupted her.

"No...but..."

"So you do think of my sister that way." Michelle interjected, moving closer. Flit looked around desperately for some kind of get-out clause, but couldn't find one.

"I...um...there's something I need to do...in the back." He stammered as he rushed through the door into the store room. Michelle and Susan just looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"It never stops being fun does it?" Susan asked her.

"No, it never does." She replied. "Don't worry, I'll go and let him know we aren't really upset."

"Thanks for lending me this dress by the way." Susan stated, gesturing to her evening wear. "I guess I don't really have much in the way of formal wear."

"It's no problem, it looks really good on you sis." Michelle complimented her, pulling her sister into a warm hug. "Besides, I'm sure there won't be many black tie events when you move into his room at the temple."

"I guess that's true." Susan agreed. "So what do we have planned for tonight?"

"Well Lily agreed that we should all meet at JKP for a little while, and then the guys and the girls are going their separate ways." Michelle informed her as Susan grabbed her jacket. "I don't know about the guys, but I have a place booked a few blocks from the restaurant. Somewhere we can have a few quiet drinks."

"That sounds about right." Susan said with a small sigh. "I just hope Dom doesn't have anything too wild planned for Jarrod."

"They all know that they'd have you to answer to if he's too worn out for the wedding." Michelle assured her. "They want him to get better as much as you do."

"I guess, he has been feeling a lot better recently. He's just been so antsy since his treatment started, he's been a lot more active than I'd have liked. I keep telling him he needs to rest." She said quietly, looking a little nervous about his condition. "He's just so strong-willed, he hates feeling vulnerable. I just don't want him to wear himself out."

"He has been a little energetic recently." Michelle agreed. "That's a good sign though. You know that he was in great shape when all this began, that bodes well for his recovery."

Flit looked sheepishly out from the back room. Michelle smiled and waved him in.

"It's alright Flit, you can come out now." She told him. He came over, looking nervously between them. "Sorry, but we were just having a little fun with you."

She put an arm around him and pulled him into herself, kissing him softly. He smiled a little, more out of relief that he was off the hook than any appreciation at being the butt of their joke.

"I guess I need to watch out for your sense of humour in the future." He replied as he put his arms around her. "You know you're going to pay for that."

"I hope so." She told him. "Anyway, we all have a party to go to."

"I'm sure the others will have already started to arrive." Susan reiterated. "Come on guys, I know the bride's meant to be fashionably late, but this is getting ridiculous."

Over at JKP, Gabby was helping Lily and Fran put the finishing touches on a finger buffet for the guests. RJ was busy walking David around the apartment, whispering to him gently to get him to sleep as Jarrod watched him, with a slightly thoughtful, dreamy little smile. Dom came over behind Gabby, reaching around her and picking up a few pretzels.

"Dom, would you stop eating?" She reprimanded him, smacking his arm away. "We want there to be SOME food left for the other guests!"

"Oh come on, you wouldn't want your fiancé to get hungry now would you?" He asked her, holding her tightly and kissing her neck. She got a little smile as she felt him tighten his grip.

"I don't know where you put it all." She giggled.

"Well you now know how I have so much energy." He responded as he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder with a shriek and began running around the room with her.

"OK Dom put her down." Lily chuckled at the display. "At least wait until after we've set up here before you go stealing my staff."

"Sorry, I'll let her go." He said to the Yellow Ranger as he released his fiancée. He kissed her softly.

"I swear, sometimes you kill me." Gabby laughed as she returned to the preparations. "I don't know why I put up you."

"It's because you love me." He replied, shoving another couple of pretzels into his mouth. Casey and Camille arrived with their daughter Holly, along with the three masters at this point. Master Finn slapped Dom upside the head as he entered the room.

"You never could stop eating, even when you were a student." He reprimanded him. "Wait until the other guests have arrived.

"OK, why does the Rhino Master always get all the abuse?" Dominic asked, with a slightly hurt expression.

"Just because you have the spirit of a rhino doesn't mean you have to eat like one." Master Phant reminded him as he took a seat. "Speaking of the guest of honour, here she is now!"

Susan arrived with Flit and her sister, sitting on the couch next to Jarrod and holding him tightly.

"How are you feeling tonight?" She asked him.

"I feel a lot better now." He responded, kissing her deeply. "I just wish I knew what Dom has planned for me tonight."

"Well it was actually a collaborative effort between myself and Mr. Chilman." He informed him. "He's arranging the last of the details as we speak."

"Well I guess if a former Marine is in on these arrangements then you can't be planning anything too wild." Jarrod chuckled. "It's not like we'll end up in the middle of nowhere."

"Trust me; you're going to love it." Jarrod assured him, checking his watch. "Speaking of which, the cabs should be arriving any minute. Are we all ready to go?"

"Sure, I'll just put David to bed." RJ stated, making his way through to the nursery. "Come on little man, it's time we left you in your babysitter's capable hands."

"Has the babysitter arrived yet?" Fran asked them. "I wouldn't want Megan to miss any of the party."

"It's alright, for what I'm paying for the night, the babysitter should be right on time." RJ assured her. "We're all going to have a blast."

A car horn sounded from outside, causing Dom to cross to the window and look outside to find several cabs pulling up.

"It looks like that's our cue to leave." Dom chirped cheerfully, collecting his jacket. "Come on guys, our rides' here."

"Would you at least tell me NOW what we're doing?" Jarrod asked him as he kissed his fiancée goodbye and hurried towards the door with the rest of the guys.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Dom asked him.

"Boys don't ever grow up do they?" Gabby asked as she started pouring some glasses of champagne for all the women gathered for the occasion.

"No, they just get more expensive and more dangerous toys to play with." Lily assured her, taking a glass from the tray.

"Could I just have an OJ?" Fran asked.

"Don't worry; we have plenty of stuff for you to drink." Lily informed her, making her way to the fridge. "When the babysitter gets here, we'll head out to the club."

A little while later, the cabs arrived at Ocean Bluff Docks, stopping near the quay. Jarrod got out of the cab, looking around with a slightly curious look on his face.

"So what are we doing here Dom?" He asked.

"Well, I figured you'd probably just want a small, quiet get-together, so I wanted somewhere we could all just sit and quietly talk." He told him, gesturing to a nearby yacht. Michael appeared on the deck, holding up a beer cooler.

"Welcome aboard Jarrod!" He called out, gesturing to the gangplank. "Come on up."

"We're going sailing?" Jarrod asked, a smile crossing his face.

"We know you probably don't feel like doing much, so we've stocked up on some drinks and some snacks." Michael explained as they all made their way onto the deck. "One of my old Marine buddies owed me a favour, so he agreed to lend me the ship for the night. We're just going to take her out into some deeper water for a little privacy."

"This is all great, thanks guys." Jarrod responded gratefully. "So does anyone know how to sail this thing?"

"Jarrod, I was a Marine for over 30 years." Michael reminded him. "It's not exactly my first time on a boat."

Back at JKP, the girls had been celebrating for a while as they waited for their babysitter. Michelle slumped down on the sofa next to her sister, handing her a Bloody Mary.

"So when exactly is the babysitter getting here?" Michelle asked, sipping her own drink. "I thought she was due at 8."

"Well I just checked my messages and it seems she decided to give it a miss." Lily grumbled, coming back into the room, throwing her cell phone aside. "Apparently she got a date with a hot guy in her class and decided that was more important than honouring her commitments."

She sat down on the other side of Susan and put an arm around her, looking at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry about this Susan." She sighed, holding her closely. "I really wish this hadn't happened."

"It's alright; I would have felt a little odd about tearing up the town when Jarrod's still feeling ill." She replied, putting down the Bloody Mary and picking up a beer instead, taking s swig. "I think a nice, quiet thing here would be better anyway."

"Are you sure?" Michelle asked her.

"I kind of feel like I'd be rubbing his face in it." She replied. "Besides, if we went to a club we'd have to leave my bridesmaid behind. Gabby's underage."

"Trust the former cop to point that out." Gabby grumbled, putting down her glass of champagne.

"In a private residence it's fine, just not on licensed premises." Susan reminded her. "It'll be fine. I guess I just want Jarrod to be happy. It doesn't seem right to tear it up when he's probably taking it easily. I'm not even sure I should be drinking."

"I'm sure Jarrod wouldn't mind you having a couple of beers." Michelle assured her. "Besides, I've seen the way he smiles any time you're in the room. Believe me, just having you in his life makes him happy."

"So since we're talking about this stuff," Lily asked, taking a glass of champagne. "When did you know you loved him?"

*********

"It sounds corny, but in a way I've kind of always known." Jarrod answered as RJ asked him the exact same question. He took a sip of cola. "When I saw her coming into the room for the first time, just after she'd saved Gabby I was speechless. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

"So you always wanted to be with her?" Casey asked him.

*********

"At first I never thought he'd see anything in me." Susan replied to Gabby's question. "I kind of thought he was cute, I knew I liked him. When I killed Mason, I was falling apart inside. Jarrod understood that, and he comforted me. I fell in love with him in that moment."

"I could always tell there was something special between the two of you." Her mother chipped in with a smile. "It was just like when I met your father. We fell for each other so quickly; I couldn't believe that I could be so lucky and find my soul mate so easily."

"Jarrod is my soul mate." Susan responded. "I know we'd have taken things more slowly if this hadn't happened, but I've never doubted for a second we're doing the right thing. I just know we'd end up here eventually."

"To Jarrod and Susan." Mrs. Rhodes announced, raising her glass. "May you both have all the happiness in the world."

"Jarrod and Susan." They all chorused together.

The next morning, Michelle made her way into the hospital, wearing dark glasses to shield her eyes from the harsh light of the California sun. She made her way into her office, slumping down into her chair and pulled off her glasses, holding her throbbing head in her hands. Dr. Ramsey came into her office, sniggering slightly.

"A few too many?" He asked her. Michelle groaned and nodded.

"Anyone who tells you that you don't get hangovers from Bloody Mary is a bloody liar." She responded, pouring herself a cup of herbal tea. "I'll be fine."

"I guess you're entitled." Dr. Ramsey chuckled. "It was your sister's Bachelorette party after all. I'll take rounds off your hands today."

"Thanks that would be great." Michelle replied. Dr. Ramsey left to allow her to compose herself. She looked to her in tray, seeing the file that she had been given the night before. Picking it up, she read the name and realised it was the results of Jarrod's latest tests.

She opened the file, and read through it, unable to believe what she was seeing. She read it a second time, her tears beginning to form, and she dropped it onto the desk. Grabbing her cell phone, she quickly dialled Jarrod.

"Jarrod, it's Michelle, we have the results of your latest tests." She told him, wiping away a couple of tears. "I'd really rather not talk about it over the phone. Would you come round to my office later this afternoon?"

She hung up after he agreed and picked up the file again, reading it through for a third time. It was only then that she could allow a smile to cross her face. In a couple of hours she was going to give him the best wedding present she ever could.

He had gone into remission.


	73. Lion and Lioness

Susan arrived at the hospital to find Jarrod in the waiting area. She was feeling a little rough as a result of the party the night before, but as soon as Jarrod had called her about the results, had rushed over without a second thought. As she arrived, Jarrod scooped her up into his arms.

"I thought you'd still be sleeping." He chuckled. "You know the bride isn't meant to see the groom before the wedding."

"Tradition can be damned." She replied cheekily, kissing him. "I want to know what's going on with my husband."

"I can see you now." Michelle told them as she arrived by her office, still nursing a throbbing headache. "Please step inside."

They both went in, taking a seat as Michelle closed the door behind them. She took a seat across from them and opened a drawer on her desk, pulling out an envelope, sliding it across to them.

"I wanted to give you this." She told them.

"You do know the wedding's tomorrow right?" Susan asked her weakly. "If you have anything..."

"Just open it, trust me, you will love it." She assured them.

Susan picked up the envelope and opened it, looking at the contents in disbelief.

"These are plane tickets." She remarked.

"I thought you'd like a honeymoon." Michelle told her, gesturing them both in for a hug. "You fly out to Jamaica tomorrow."

"But I thought you said I shouldn't travel." Jarrod reminded her. "I thought because of the treatments I shouldn't take on too much."

"That was the other present I wanted to give you." Michelle replied, unable to stop a single tear of joy running down her face as she smiled. She handed Jarrod his chart. "You're in remission."

Jarrod and Susan couldn't say anything, they were far too happy. Jarrod took her hand, lacing her fingers with his as he took the folder.

"It's over?" He asked her, the excitement obvious in his voice. "It's really over?"

"For now it is, I'd still recommend you get regular check-ups, but yes, the cancer is in remission." He explained warmly, reaching out to them. "You're going to be fine."

Susan grabbed him in a passionate hug, threatening to squeeze the life out of him, and kissed him repeatedly in her excitement.

"This is amazing; I can't believe you're telling me this!" Jarrod finally managed to say as Susan released him long enough for him to catch his breath.

"Now, it's in remission, we'll need to monitor things, especially for the next couple of years." She reminded him. "Given the way you heal up, I'm confident I'll be giving you the all-clear in a couple of years. Until then, I guess we have a wedding to look forward to."

"I guess we do." Jarrod stated, leaning across and kissing his fiancé. "We should really be getting ready for tomorrow."

"I can't wait." Susan replied, finally letting go of him and making her way out of the office. "I'll see you then."

Jarrod smiled as he got up to leave. He turned to his future sister-in law, and leaned in, kissing her cheek warmly.

"Thanks for everything Chelle." He said as he gathered his things. "I don't know if I'd have held it together this long without you and your sister."

"I'm glad I could help." She replied. "Giving my future brother-in-law news like this was the best hangover cure ever."

"Did you have a few too many last night?" He asked her.

"Oh yeah!" She replied in a gasp. "Trust me, a couple of Bloody Marys and I'm gone!"

Meanwhile, over at JKP, RJ and Michael were beginning to prepare ingredients for the following day's reception. Gabby came into the kitchen, dodging around them skilfully with a tray full of dirty plates as Michael almost bumped into her with a tray of profiteroles.

"You know a little help would be great right about now." She suggested as she loaded the dishwasher and started a cycle. "Am I the only one working right now?"

"Sorry, but I have the little guy to worry about." RJ said, gesturing to David, strapped securely into the papoose on his chest. Almost on cue, he gave a little gurgle. "See, the little guy agrees that I'm too busy."

"Sorry, we're just trying to get as much prep done as we can." Michael told her, slamming the profiteroles into an oven and setting the timer. "We don't want to have too much to do when we get back from the ceremony."

"Well we have a restaurant full of hungry kids right now." She reminded them. "Apparently not many of them are going on holiday this year."

"Where's Fran?" Michael asked her. "I thought she was helping you today."

"She's three months pregnant." Gabby reminded him. "There is a limit to what she can do."

"I'm even more limited by what Theo will let me do." Fran grumbled as she came into the kitchen and took a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a long slug. "I swear, you'd think I was made of glass. I keep reminding him I'm a master."

"So was Lily when she was pregnant with this little guy." RJ reminded her, looking down to his son and making a couple of faces, raising a little smile from him. "You all know how crazy I went."

"Still, Gabby's brought up a good point." Michael interjected. "Fran's going to stop working here soon. Gabby's going to be working fewer shifts once she goes to college, and Dom only works here part-time anyway."

"Recruitment drive?" RJ asked him.

"I think it would be worth advertising." Michael replied. "We're getting a little short-handed."

"I'd agree with that." Theo stated as he arrived in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Fran and kissing her softly. "Unless you plan on recruiting my kid the second he or she is born."

"Knowing RJ I wouldn't put it past him." Fran giggled as she settled into her husband's arms. "He'll give anyone a chance. He hired me didn't he?"

"I'm glad he did." Theo told her. "I just came by to give you this. It arrived in the mail after you left."

He handed Fran an envelope. She looked at it, her eyes growing wide with excitement.

"It's from the education department!" She shrieked, tearing it open. She began reading it with interest.

"What does it say?" RJ asked her.

"I got the job!" She yelled, leaping into Theo's arms and kissing him passionately. "I applied for a job at the local High School. I'm going to be a teaching assistant in the English department!"

"You wanted that job for ages!" Theo chirped as he held his wife tightly. "That's wonderful news!"

"Congratulations Fran." RJ said in response, putting a hand on her shoulder warmly. David gurgled and kicked excitedly. "He's happy for you too."

"This is amazing!" She gasped, reading it over again. "They said that I got a great reference from Dr. Oliver."

"Tommy did say he'd put in a word for you." Theo responded. "I guess having a headmaster as a reference makes all the difference."

"When do you start?" Michael asked her.

"The new semester starts in two months." She informed him. "I'll be starting then."

"Well I guess we better get started on advertising for a couple of new waiters." RJ sighed. "We'll be sad to see you go, but we're happy you'll be doing something you love."

At that, a buzzer sounded on the oven timer, causing everyone to look around.

"I guess that's the profiteroles." Michael stated, grabbing some oven gloves. "What's next?"

Jarrod arrived at the Temple, finding Dominic running through a few exercises in the main courtyard. He stood and watched him finishing his pattern, before approaching him.

"Hey bro, how are things?" Dom asked him. Jarrod held up the envelope.

"It'll be even better when I'm sipping Pena Coladas on a beach in Jamaica." He replied. "Michelle booked us a couple of tickets online as a wedding present."

"I thought she suggested you shouldn't travel while you were having treatment." Dom answered.

"Well I'm not having treatment anymore." Jarrod informed him with a huge grin. "I'm in remission."

"Jarrod, that's amazing!" He yelled, launching himself into a huge hug. "I'm so happy for both of you! Does Susan know?"

"I asked her to come to the hospital when Michelle asked me to visit." Jarrod told him. "She knows."

"Well I'm glad that we can get on with the preparations." Dom said happily. "Anyway, we're due at Casey's apartment."

"What's the plan?" Jarrod asked him.

"You missed out on your bachelor party, and it's tradition to get married with a hangover." Dom reminded him. "Tonight, you and I are going to get wrecked."

Susan came into the apartment above JKP, finding Lily running through some accounts. She threw her overnight bag into the corner as the Yellow Ranger looked up from her paperwork.

"Did the dress arrive?" Susan asked her.

"It's hanging up in our bedroom." She informed the nervous bride. "It's alright; you have nothing to worry about. We've thought of everything."

"Well I'll feel better tomorrow after I've said 'I do'." Susan responded as she made her way to the fridge. "When are the others getting here?"

"Vida and Maddie should be getting here in a couple of hours." Lily informed her. "Megan will be over in a while, and Gabby and Fran just need to close the restaurant."

"Chelle should be finishing at the hospital soon." Susan replied, fetching a couple of beers. "I noticed you have plenty of champagne."

"Of course we do." Lily stated. "How often are you planning on getting married?"

"Just the once, this one's going to last." She replied. "Michelle got his results back today. Jarrod's in remission."

"That's fantastic news!" Lily screeched, taking the beer from Susan.

"Chelle booked us a couple of tickets to Jamaica for a honeymoon." Susan informed her. "We're really looking forward to it."

"I'll bet you are." Lily said with a smile. "Jamaica should be amazing at this time of year."

"It depends on how much time you plan on spending outdoors if you catch my drift." Susan said with a small blush.

"Hey, been there done that." Lily reminded her. "It's your honeymoon; you're entitled to enjoy it."

"Honeymoon talk already?" Gabby asked as she came upstairs, reaching into her bag for the clothes she had looked out for the night ahead. "You are only going down the street you know."

"Well not anymore." Susan told her. "We're going to Jamaica."

"Jamaica?" Fran asked as she arrived behind Gabby. "When did that happen?"

Susan just looked to Lily and they shared a smile. She loved getting to tell people her news. She and Jarrod were going to share their lives, and now they knew they weren't going to have that life ripped from them sadistically early. She was looking forward to calling Jarrod her husband.

Jarrod and Dom arrived at Casey's apartment, finding Xander, Chip and Daggeron sitting in the living room with Theo.

"Hey guys, has the party started without the guest of honour?" Jarrod asked cheerfully.

"We were just making sure we warmed it up a little for you." Chip assured him. "Of course we didn't start without you."

"RJ and Michael should be here in a little while." Casey told him.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Jarrod asked the Mystic Rangers.

"Well Daggeron gave me my final trial a while back. You're now looking at the newest Mystic Knight." Chip replied with an obvious pride.

"It felt good to indoctrinate my first student." Daggeron added, slapping Chip on the back so hard he noticeably flinched from the pain. "Now I know how Leanbow felt when I took the oath on my sword."

"How about you?" Jarrod asked Xander. "How are things going back in Briarwood now?"

"A lot better than when I left." He said with a little smile. "Maddie and I started dating."

"Really?" Dom asked him. "That's great news. I know you were nuts about her."

"She wants us to take things slowly." Xander replied. "It's early days yet; we're just taking it as it comes."

"Well I couldn't be happier for you both." Jarrod assured him. "Anyway, can I get something to drink?"

"What would you like?" Casey asked him.

"Anything with alcohol in it." He replied. "I missed out on my bachelor party; I'm not planning to miss out now."

"I thought..." Casey's words trailed off as he figured it out. "You're clear?"

"Not exactly, I'm in remission." He explained. "I don't need any more treatments, but I'll be monitored closely for the next couple of years before I get the all clear."

"Well I have more than a couple of bottles of wine waiting." Casey told him. "Chip?"

"I've already poured the glasses." He replied, handing them each a glass.

"You guys just hold on here, I want to talk to Jarrod." Casey told them. He took his future brother-in-law out of the apartment into the gym. Jarrod looked at him a little nervously.

"Is this where you make sure my intentions are honourable?" Jarrod asked him.

"If they weren't, you'd have given up long before now." Casey assured him. "I know you love her. I'm sure you'll take care of her."

"So you're cool with me now?" Jarrod asked him. Casey smiled and nodded.

"I was just looking out for my family." He replied. "I've grown up with two sisters and my mother since I was 8. It'll be cool to have a couple of brothers."

"So it's over?" Jarrod asked him hopefully, holding out a hand. Casey took his hand and pulled him into a warm hug.

"We've done this for too long already." He replied. "Welcome to the family."


	74. The Lion's Wedding Pt 1

The following morning, Jarrod ran into the main room of Casey's apartment from the shower with an unrestrained enthusiasm. Finding Dom and RJ still asleep on the floor, he kicked them both gently to waken them up.

"Come on guys, aren't you awake yet?" He asked them excitedly, pulling on his tuxedo pants. "Come on, wake up!"

"Jarrod, it's early!" Dom grumbled, pulling the sleeping bag over his head and turning over.

"Guys, you're the groom's party, you're meant to be the ones getting me ready!" He reminded them, ripping open the curtains and letting light into the apartment. "Come on, Casey's boiler probably only has about an hour's worth of hot water left."

"Isn't it illegal for the groom to be the only member of the groom's party that isn't hung over?" RJ complained as he began to climb out of his sleeping bag.

"Please, you were bouncing all over the place when you married Lily." Dom reminded him in a huge yawn, finally moving from his sleeping bag. "How long do we have?"

"We have about three hours to get ready." Jarrod reminded them. "The Mystics are waiting for us at the hotel, and the Masters will meet us at the farm."

"Has anyone called the bridal party yet?" RJ asked him, finding his way to the kitchen and switching on the coffee pot.

"Not yet." Casey told them as he came from his bedroom, fully washed and dressed, ready for the day. "Do I smell coffee?"

"You're already dressed?" Dom complained, taking a seat on the couch.

"Who do you think woke up the groom?" Casey asked him. "Anyway, I'm sure Jarrod and I will enjoy the coffee while you two fight over the shower."

"Why would we fight over it?" RJ asked him.

"Well my hot water tank only holds about three shower's worth of hot water and Jarrod and I have already showered." He reminded them. Both Dom and RJ looked at each other for a second before rushing into the bathroom, jostling for position.

"So are you looking forward to this?" Casey asked him. Jarrod just smiled as he accepted a cup of coffee from him.

"It feels like I've been looking forward to this for ages." He said with a little smile as he accepted the coffee, beginning to spoon out some sugar. "I can't wait to see her."

"I still can't believe you managed to pull a wedding together in two weeks." Casey stated, thinking back over everything that had happened. "I'm sure the two of you will have a great time in Jamaica."

"That's another thing I'm looking forward to." Jarrod told him. "My adoptive parents were rich, but they spent all their time working and travelling. I was always left with a child minder. This'll be the first time I've been abroad."

"It'll be the first time for Susan too." Casey assured him. "After dad died, we didn't really have money for holidays. I know she's really looking forward to this."

"So how long do you think it'll take those two to figure out we were lying about the hot water?" Jarrod asked him. Almost on cue, a scream came from the bathroom as he tried to shower in ice-cold water.

"I think they've figured out that we used all the hot water." He laughed in response. "That'll teach them to sleep in."

Meanwhile, over at JKP, Susan was beginning to panic as the day wore on. Michelle grabbed her as she went to check for the thousandth time that the dress was alright.

"Susan, everything's fine!" She said soothingly, putting an arm around her and guiding her to the breakfast table. "Please, just try to calm down and enjoy the day."

"I just want everything to go right for us." She replied weakly as her sister brought her back to the table to her virtually untouched breakfast.

"Look, you're both there and now, you're both healthy." Lily told her, refreshing her coffee. "That's all that really matters."

"That and enjoying the honeymoon," Fran chipped in, coming in from the kitchen where she had just helped herself to another portion of scrambled eggs. "I remember my honeymoon in Hawaii, it was amazing! I'd never left Ocean Bluff before then. I had a complete blast!"

"I remember all too well." Lily teased her. "I had to sit next to you on the flight home remember?"

"Don't remind me!" She moaned, remembering the plane ride. The flight had been oversold, and so Lily and Fran had been upgraded to first class, and Fran had gone more than a little overboard on the champagne.

"It sounds like there's a story there." Michelle stated. "Would you mind sharing?"

"Well it was my first time in the first class section of a plane, and the complimentary champagne went to my head a little." She confessed. "I can't believe how much I had to drink."

"It probably didn't help when the steward gave us that extra bottle." Lily told her. "Or that I was pregnant with David at the time, meaning you drank MY allowance too."

"Did they do that because you were on honeymoon?" Susan asked her.

"Something like that." Lily said, casting a little look to Fran. The former Orange Ranger started to turn red. "When I explained we were on honeymoon the head steward told me we won him a bet."

"What bet?" Michelle asked. Susan just smirked as she got a thought about the situation.

"You did tell them your husbands were in coach right?" She asked her.

"He didn't give us a chance to explain." Lily concluded, causing them all to laugh. "They thought it was OUR honeymoon."

"I'm sure you made a cute couple." Susan teased Fran as she tried to focus her attention on the plate of scrambled eggs and not blushing.

"Would everyone stop upsetting the pregnant lady?" She whined between mouthfuls. "It's bad enough my dress is probably going to be confused with a marquee."

"Fran, you really shouldn't let yourself get upset like that." Lily reminded her. "You aren't that big yet, and you saw how huge I got before David was born."

"So are you looking forward to your own honeymoon?" Michelle asked her, getting the subject off Fran before she became too upset.

"You know I am." Susan replied. "I can't wait till we get there."

"I know the honeymoon was great when it was my turn." Theo announced as he arrived in the room, dressed in his rented tuxedo. He made his way over to the breakfast table and kissed Fran's cheek. "I'm sure you and Jarrod will love it. I've heard the weather's great this time of year."

"Guys, it's probably about time we were getting ready." Michelle suggested as she checked her watch. "I'm sure Susan here will drive us all mad if we keep her precious Lion waiting."

Over at the Heartland, Jarrod arrived with the rest of the guys, finding the Masters already waiting for them. Mr and Mrs Fisher were just getting acquainted with them as they waited for the others. Master Phant noticed them first, raising their attention.

"So it's the big day at last eh Jarrod?" Master Finn stated. "Are you beginning to get nervous yet?"

"Only a little." He replied as he shook the Shark Master's hand. "It feels like I've been waiting for this for ages."

"She's a very special woman Jarrod; I know you'll make her very happy." Finn said reassuringly. "I see our old friends from Briarwood have managed to make the journey."

"Well I kind of had to be here for Susan's special day." Xander told him, shaking his hand. "If it wasn't for her taking over the store I wouldn't have been able to go home."

"I'm looking forward to the food afterwards." Chip interjected, earning him a slap upside the head from Vida.

"Do you ever stop eating?" She asked him in a laugh, pulling into him for a kiss. "You only had breakfast about two hours ago."

"So?" He asked her.

"You had four servings." Daggeron reminded him. "I think you'll be fine for a little while."

"It looks like the others have started to arrive." Maddie told them, gesturing down the path. Lily, Fran, Michael and Megan arrived with the kids, greeting the others as they took a look around the yard.

"I can see why you chose here for the ceremony." Fran gushed, looking around at the yard in all its glory. "It's beautiful here."

"You really have worked hard Mr. Fisher." Jarrod complimented him, gesturing to the flower beds. "Everything's coming along well here."

"We wanted to make a little extra effort for your big day." He assured him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed. My wife would have a fit if I didn't wear a suit for the wedding."

"So how is the minister feeling?" RJ asked his wife, pulling Lily into a deep hug and taking his son from her, kissing his forehead gently.

"I'm a little nervous." She responded honestly. "I'm really excited about performing the ceremony, but it's not like I've exactly done this before."

"I'm sure you'll be fine honey." Her father said reassuringly. "You really only have to sign the registry with Jarrod, Susan and the witnesses. Other than that, it's really all about what they want to say to each other."

"The registry!" She shrieked, suddenly remembering the document. "Oh God, please don't tell me I've screwed up this early..."

"It's just as well Susan has a good bridesmaid." Gabby said cheekily, handing her the document as she made her way to Dom's side. "I saw it on the counter as we were leaving. Just be glad Susan didn't find out."

"Oh, speaking of Susan, I guess it's about time I was heading over there." Casey told them, fishing out his car keys. "Don't worry Jarrod; I'll get her here in time."

"You better!" He called after him as he left. "Well I guess we should all make ourselves comfortable until the bride arrives."

Back at JKP, Michelle came into the bedroom, finding Susan putting the finishing touches to her hair. She was quickly checking herself in the mirror to make sure the dress was fitting properly.

"You look amazing sis." Michelle complimented her warmly. "Jarrod's a lucky guy. You have no idea how jealous I am of you right now."

"I just can't believe it's time already." Susan replied, holding up her hand. "Look at me, I can't stop shaking."

"I think it's customary to be a little nervous." She replied, handing her a glass of champagne. "Doctor's orders, this'll help you calm down a little."

"Well I could use something." She replied, accepting the glass. "I think I may have overdone it on the coffee."

"You think?" Michelle chuckled in response. "We went through four pots of coffee this morning, and none of us had more than two cups."

"Sorry, I just don't know what to do with myself." She sighed. "I guess I just can't wait to get there."

"Are you that desperate to drop the Rhodes name?" Casey asked as he came into the room. "Chelle, would you give us a minute?"

Michelle got up and headed out to the main room where Theo was waiting. Casey just smiled at his older sister.

"You really do look amazing." He told her. "Dad would have been so proud if he could see you today."

"That means a lot Casey." She replied, getting up and pulling into a tight hug. "I really appreciate you doing this for me. I know it wasn't easy for you."

"Hell, if everything you and Jarrod have been through didn't convince me you were made for each other, then nothing would have." He answered her. "He's a lucky man."

"We're both lucky." Susan corrected him. "He's a good man. You know that."

"I'm just trying to get used to the idea of gaining two older brothers." He joked. "Even when my sisters get married I still end up the baby of the family."

"You'll always be the baby of this family." She warned him. Casey reached behind her, pulling her veil over her face.

"I think it's about time we got you to your husband." He told her, offering his arm to her. "It's time to go."

"I guess it is." She replied, hooking her arm with his as he led her from the bed room. "I can't wait."

Over at The Heartland, Jarrod was beginning to get a little nervous as RJ and the other Masters helped set up chairs for the occasion, facing a huge apple tree that was covered in bright blossoms and a few fledgling apples. Lily was also pacing nervously, pouring over what she planned to say for the service. She almost looked as nervous as Jarrod. He turned to Dom.

"Are you sure I look aright?" He asked him.

"Jarrod, you look fine." Dom assured him. "It's fine, everything's going to be alright, just calm down a little."

"Theo called to say he was driving them right?" Jarrod asked again.

"For the hundredth time yes." Dom laughed, taking amusement in his brother's panic. "He's in the Bentley Gabby's dad lent them. He's probably just taking it easy on the roads."

"He is." A familiar voice told him, causing the two brothers to look around. Master Mao was standing before them in dress robes, smiling. "Theo's always taken any responsibility seriously, even the smallest. He's just making sure the bridal party gets here safely."

"Dad?" Jarrod greeted him in a weak voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it was customary to visit your son when he got married." He told him. "With Dai Shi gone, we're all at peace now. It takes a lot more for me to cross over, so I thought I'd save it for a happy occasion such as this."

"I've…we've really missed you." He continued. "It's been really hard…"

"All new challenges in life are hard, that doesn't mean they aren't worth the effort." He interrupted his son, smiling at him. "I've been watching you both. I couldn't be prouder of either of you. Dominic, you were really there for Jarrod in his time of need. I'm sure you'll make Gabby very happy when the time comes."

"I'll do my best." He assured the old Master. "Thanks dad."

"Jarrod, the way you've coped with everything that's happened to you in your life makes me prouder than I ever thought possible." He complimented his younger son. "Life has portioned out more than your fair share of hard times, you deserve this union. Even Jack thinks so."

"Jack?" Jarrod asked him.

"Susan's father." Master Mao explained. "He's over the moon that she found you. He always wanted what was best for his children. I only wish there was some way I could have helped him cross over to be here today. The least I could do was let you know how he feels."

"Dad, I know you can't cross over as often as you used to." Jarrod began, struggling to find a way to ask him. "Why didn't you come when I was sick?"

"I knew your family would take care of you." He answered with a smile. "I knew you and your lion spirit would make it. I wanted to save one of my rare visits for today."

"You knew this was going to happen?" Jarrod asked him. "You knew we'd end up together?"

"I never doubted it for a second." He replied, nodding behind him. "I should probably be going now; it looks like your bride has arrived."

With that, he disappeared from view. Jarrod turned to see Theo and Michelle approaching from a little further down the path.

"Everybody get into position!" Theo called out with a grin. "We're about to start."

Lily came to the apple tree and quickly fixed her hair, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself as Jarrod and Dom stood facing her to the left of her, and Michelle and Gabby took their place to her right. Lily craned her neck to see as Casey and Susan came into view, before nodding to RJ, signalling him to start the portable stereo, playing the wedding march.

Everyone turned back to see her as she arrived. Susan was dressed in an elegant, modern dress of white silk. It was shorter than usual for a wedding gown, ending a little below her knees, and didn't have a train as was practical for holding the wedding outdoors on a working farm. A fine lace veil covered her face, but Jarrod didn't need it to be removed to see the beautiful smile he'd come to love. Dom put a hand under his chin and lifted it.

"Your mouth's hanging open." He informed him.

"I don't care." Jarrod replied as she arrived. He turned towards Lily as she arrived with Casey. They all stood there in silence for a moment.

"Ummm…Lily?" Casey whispered, leaning forward. "You're meant to be starting now."

"Oh…right…sorry, it's just nerves." She stammered nervously. "Well…um…we're all here to celebrate as Jarrod and Susan join together, declaring their love for each other forever. Who presents the bride?"

"I do." Casey answered, releasing her arm. Susan took a step forward, taking Jarrod's hand in hers, looking at him.

"Thankfully Jarrod and Susan have written their own vows, so I'll let them say everything from here." Lily joked, raising a small laugh from the assembled crowd. Jarrod began first.

"Susan, since the first moment I saw you, I knew there was something special about you." He led off, thinking of everything she meant to him. "When you kissed me for the first time, I felt like the luckiest man in the world. I've faced some trying times, and there were times I never thought I would make it, but you were always there for me. You always believed in me, and most importantly, you've always loved me. I don't know if I can ever repay everything you've given me, but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying."

Susan reached under her veil, wiping away a tear and composing herself as she prepared for her vows.

"For a long time I felt like I was never going to find someone that makes me as happy as you do." She announced to the whole group. "When you brought me here and we kissed for the first time, I just knew in my heart that my life had changed forever. I may not always have been the easiest person to be with, and I know my family is a little daunting to get used to, but you always found a way to amaze me. Just when I think I've seen you at your limits, you find away to make me even surer that I made the right choice with you. I can't imagine wanting to be with anyone else. You're everything to me."

There was another silence, before Dom let out a small cough, drawing Lily's attention. She was too lost in the vows and the moment to realise that they had finished. He showed her the rings.

"The rings!" She shrieked. "Ok, Jarrod, give Susan her ring. Do you take her to be your wife?"

"I do." He said as he slid the ring onto her finger while trying not to laugh at Lily's somewhat nerve-riddled and chaotic ceremony.

"Susan…"

"I do." She rushed out, putting the ring on Jarrod's finger and sparing Lily having to find something to say.

"Then by the power invested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. Now for goodness sake kiss the bride!"

Jarrod lifted Susan's veil, looking deeply into her eyes and drew into a long, passionate kiss as the others applauded ad cheered. Lily made her way over to the chair beside RJ.

"Don't say a word!" She warned him as she took David off him.

"I thought you did very well." He said soothingly. "I'm sure everyone has a few hiccups leading their first wedding."

""You really think so?" Lily asked him weakly. "I completely froze. I forgot everything I was going to say…"

RJ pulled her in, kissing her softly to stop her speaking.

"Look at them." He told her, gesturing to Jarrod and Susan, who were at that moment making their way to the limo under a hail of confetti. "Do you really think it matters to them?"

"I guess not." She sighed, finally able to smile as they got up to head back to where they parked the cars. "I guess it was kind of exciting. I really loved being able to do that for them."

"I thought you'd enjoy it." He commented, holding her warmly.

"I can't wait to do it again!" She remarked as se started to walk with a little skip in her step. "Next time I'll make sure I do a better job."

"Next time?" RJ asked a little nervously. Lily just elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't be a smart ass." She remarked, being careful to cover David's ears so he didn't hear his mommy swearing. RJ just rubbed his ribs and laughed, holding his wife as they left. They still had the reception to deal with, and he was sure everyone would have an appetite.


	75. The Lion's Wedding Pt 2

The group arrived back at JKP following the ceremony, making their way into the main restaurant. It was closed for the day to allow them all to attend the celebration. Making his way into the kitchen, RJ slid the first of the appetisers into the oven.

"Well, how does it feel to be a part of the family." Casey asked his new brother-in-law, handing Jarrod and Susan a drink.

"It feels pretty good." He replied, holding Susan closely. "I guess I'm just going to have to get used to being an older brother. I'm no longer the baby of the family."

"Hey, don't rub it in." Casey warned him jovially, punching his shoulder. "I know I'm kind of doomed to always be the baby in the family."

"I'm just looking forward to the honeymoon." Susan added. "After the last few weeks it'll be good to just get some time to relax."

"I'm sure it'll be great." Casey told her as he took a sip of champagne. "I know that I would have loved to get a honeymoon."

"Well this little one had other ideas, didn't you?" Camille cooed, bringing her daughter over to her father. "Being in the third trimester kind of put paid to any travel arrangements."

"Still, thinking about it, I think I'd prefer to have Holly to a honeymoon any day." Casey interjected, taking his daughter from her and holding her closely. "She's the most amazing thing that ever happened to me."

"She is adorable." Susan remarked, looking at her little niece warmly. "I guess we should start talking about..."

"And I think that's my cue to leave." Casey interrupted her, turning and leaving. "One step at a time sis, you don't want to age me into an early grave just yet."

"It's fun to mess with him isn't it?" Jarrod asked her, holding his wife closely.

"You have no idea." She replied, turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You'll learn."

"Something tells me I'm going to love being a part of this family." He remarked, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. "I love you Mrs. Sinclaire."

"I love you Mr. Sinclaire." She replied.

"Hey, save some energy for the dance floor." RJ teased them, coming to the middle of the room. "You'll have all the time in the world for the mushy stuff later."

"Oh leave them alone RJ." Lily reprimanded him. "It's their wedding after all."

"I think we could manage to lead off the dancing." Jarrod replied, leading Susan out into the floor. "Casey, would you put something on the jukebox?"

As the dancing began, Casey sat down in a booth with his daughter and looked around as all the couples started making their way onto the floor. As tradition dictated, Jarrod and Susan led off the dance. It had been a somewhat chaotic journey for them to get together, and a large part of it had been down to his worries of him hurting her. He knew the fears were unfounded; they were based on the mental images of Jarrod and Camille together back when he was under Dai Shi's control.

Over time though, he had seen everything they had been through together, and had satisfied himself that she was not only safe with him, but that she loved him dearly. She had given up a career she had pursued for years in order to be with him. She had risked her life to save him when he had been kidnapped without a second thought, and she had stood by him during his illness.

For his part, Jarrod had also done so much for her. He had respected her and Casey enough to take his time with her when she was torturing herself over Karl's death. He had been there for her as she recovered from the attack, and he had fought Dai Shi's control for a second time to protect her. His feelings for her had been enough to give him the strength to fight him. Seeing the way they looked into each other's eyes as they danced, he couldn't help but smile. As much as he hadn't been thrilled when the whole drama began, he couldn't be anything but happy for them.

Dom then led Gabby out onto the floor, breaking with tradition slightly. As Maid of Honour, he should have had the first dance with Michelle, but they had obviously opted beforehand to switch to their own partners. He loved seeing the change in Gabby since she had gotten together with Dom. Before they started dating, she had so little confidence that it had taken both Lily and her uncle virtually dragging her out of her bedroom and into her first dance competition to break down the walls she built around herself.

She was so happy now that she was with him, and her confidence had increased dramatically. She was now a very different woman, and he could tell that she and Dom would be alright. Since he had proposed, she had been so much more focused on what she wanted to do with her life, and was now eagerly awaiting college. She hadn't really given much thought to life after High School before, but with Dom there, she now seemed to think about making a life with him, while Dom was happy to wait for her.

Michelle and Flit had surprised him a little when he found out about their relationship. He had never known his sister to have much interest in the more ethereal or alternative aspects of medicine, but even he had to admit that Flit's knowledge was incredibly impressive, and had won over pretty much everyone in the group. Of course as a result of their experiences across the time they had known each other, they were all open to just about any concept now. After all if they were able to harness animal spirits and most of them had been Power Rangers, then alternative medicine wasn't that huge a leap of faith intellectually.

He liked Flit, and while he still felt a little protective towards Michelle, he had a lot less trouble seeing them together than he had done with Jarrod and Susan. She seemed so happy with him, and she really seemed to be settling into her new life here in Ocean Bluff. Camille sat with him as he watched all the couples on the dance floor.

"Wouldn't you like to dance?" She asked him. "Even Lily, RJ and David are enjoying a little time on the dance floor."

"Maybe a little later," he replied, watching them dancing and laughing a little, seeing RJ making faces at his son as he danced, "there's no way that kid's going to be normal."

"What family here is normal?" She asked him with a small laugh. "Normal lives really are over-rated."

"Do you want to know what I'm thinking?" He asked her. Camille shook her head. "Who's going to catch the bouquet?"

"You're seriously not that superstitious are you?" She asked him with a little unconvinced look.

"I guess I've always liked that whole superstition." He replied. "I was just thinking about it though. Fran and Theo, you and me, Lily and RJ, we're all married. So who else is left to catch the bouquet?"

"Well there's always Michelle." Camille suggested, though she quickly held her hands up defensively as she saw him giving her a horrified look.

"It better not be!" He said a little too forcefully. "They've only been dating for about a month."

"Sorry, I should have thought." She replied gently, though still getting amusing images in her head about how he would react if it was Michelle. "Maybe one of the mystics will catch it."

"I guess Chip and Vida have been together for a while." He responded. "Maddie and Xander have only been together a couple of weeks. I think Vida would probably have something to say about it if she caught it."

"Maybe it'll be Gabby?" Camille suggested. "I mean she and Dom are already engaged."

"Well I guess that's true." Casey stated with a shrug. "They did say they were going to wait though, and how excited Lily was after handling this ceremony, I think she'll be trying to push whoever it is into a ceremony just so she can do that again."

"I think she'd love that." Camille chuckled. "After today, I think she'd love another chance."

"On second thoughts maybe catching the bouquet won't be that great a prize." He laughed. "No doubt Lily won't leave whoever catches it alone until they finally do get married."

"You know there is one more single woman here you haven't thought of." Camille told him, taking her daughter from him and fetching her changing bag.

"Vida, Maddie, Gabby, Michelle..." He rhymed off, trying to think about what she had said. "No one I can think of."

"What about your mom?" Camille asked him. "She's single."

Casey's mouth hung open as she said this, the suggestion clearly concerning him a little.

"Would you stop trying to marry off all my relatives?" He asked her.

"Oh come on and stop being such a big baby." She told him, beginning to change Holly. "Is it really that hard to see your mom ending up in another relationship?"

"Camille, she hasn't been with anyone since dad died." He reminded her.

"That doesn't mean she won't find someone in the future." Camille reminded him.

"I'm beginning to regret starting this conversation." He responded as Camille finished changing his daughter. "Maybe we should talk about something else..."

"Well it's a bit too late to change the subject now." Camille told him, pointing to Susan. "It looks like they're heading off to the hotel now."

"Guys, it's time for the bouquet!" RJ announced, causing them to clear a space on the floor. "Everyone who's eligible, please make your way onto the floor."

"You know if Lily's meant to read the ceremony, maybe winning this won't be such a great prize." Michelle joked warmly as they all made their way out onto the floor.

"Hey! I did my best!" She complained with a little pout. "It's not like I had a whole lot of time to practice, we didn't even have time for a rehearsal."

"I'm only joking Lily." Michelle giggled. "You did great."

"You really did beautiful." RJ said, pulling her into a warm hug. "You were great."

"You better not get any ideas mister!" Vida warned Chip as he gently pushed her onto the dance floor. "I'm not planning on getting married for quite some time."

"Oh come on, you have to stick with tradition." Chip teased her. "Wouldn't you like to become Lady Thorn?"

Vida just rolled her eyes and turned back to the dance floor. Susan turned her back to them all and closed her eyes, before throwing the bouquet over her head.

"What happened?" She asked Jarrod. "Who won?"

"Define winning." Gabby chuckled as she presented the bouquet to her. "You do realise that now Lily isn't going to leave us alone right?"

"Would everyone stop ragging on my ceremony?" She protested in a laugh. "You are right though, I would like to do it again. Any ideas when..."

"We're probably waiting until Gabby graduates." Dom reminded her.

"Aw, you guys are mean!" She complained. "I want to marry someone else."

"I think we might just have created a monster." Jarrod said to Susan. "Anyway, we should probably be making our way. We'll see you guys in a couple of weeks!"

The assembled party cheered and threw confetti as Jarrod and Susan made their way outside to their cab. As they got in, Jarrod held her closely.

"Dom said he booked us a great suite." He told her, kissing her cheek.

"Just got married eh?" The cab driver asked them.

"We did." Susan replied with a smile, settling into Jarrod's arms. "We're heading to Jamaica tomorrow."

"I went there with my ex a couple of years ago." He informed them. "It's amazing at this time of year. It's very romantic, especially some of the beach parties. I'm sure you'll love it."

"Your ex?" Susan asked a little nervously. "You're divorced?"

"It was nothing to do with the holiday I assure you." He chuckled. "It was more to do with the fact she was cheating on me with my best friend, but the holiday was great."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Jarrod told him. "I want to do this right."

"Well you're making a good start with this hotel." He told them. "It's pretty flashy..."

"Please don't tell me it's where you and your ex stayed!" Jarrod interrupted him, feeling Susan's grip on him tighten. The cab driver laughed.

"Don't worry; this place wasn't even built when we got married." He responded as they pulled up outside the hotel. The bell hop brought a cart up to the side of the cab and started unloading the bags onto it. "I'm sure the two of you will love it there."

"Thanks for the ride." Susan answered him, looking out some cash and paying him. The cabbie smiled as he saw the tip she had given him and pocketed the money.

"You know the two of you remind me of my brother and his wife." He told them. "They just celebrated their tenth anniversary."

"Thanks." Jarrod replied, shaking his hand. The cabbie got into the cab and pulled away with incredible speed. The bus boy took them up to the reception desk.

"Can I take the name?" The receptionist asked them with a little smirk. "I'm guessing you're our arrival for the bridal suite."

"What gave us away?" Susan asked in response, gesturing to her dress. The receptionist pulled up the details. "Mr and Mrs. Sinclaire?"

"That's us." Jarrod replied as the bell boy stood patiently waiting for them to finish. The receptionist handed them a key. "The porter will take you to your room."

"Hold on a second." He told his wife as they turned to leave the desk. He reached around her, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support. "Lead the way."

The porter took them up in the elevator, arriving at the top floor and leading them down the corridor.

"You know you only have to carry me over the threshold." Susan whispered in his ear. "You don't have to carry me all the way."

"I want to." He replied. "It's one of my romantic moments. Just try to enjoy it."

"I just don't want you to tire yourself out." She said gently. "It wasn't that long ago your treatment ended."

"Trust me, I have plenty of energy." He assured her with a sly grin. Susan kissed him softly as she heard this.

"How much energy?" She replied. As they arrived in the room, Jarrod put her down and looked out a tip for the porter, before turning and looking at her. He raised his eyebrows a little and smiled at her. The porter took the hint and left the room as Jarrod, without another word just picked her up and carried her through to the bedroom.

As he got outside, he looked at the tip Jarrod had given him and smiled, suppressing a small laugh.

"I always love the wedding parties." He commented to himself cheekily.


	76. A Honeymoon

The plane banked sharply, rousing Jarrod from his sleep as it started to make its final approach to the airport. He gently stroked Susan's hair, causing her to stir in his arms.

"Jarrod, leave me alone." She grumbled as she squirmed in his grip, beginning to settle back down. "I'm tired."

"Susan, we're almost at the airport." He told her, gently nudging her again. "We're about to land."

"I thought this flight was meant to last for hours." She yawned, stretching out in her seat as the rubbed her eyes.

"It did." Jarrod informed her. "We both slept right through it."

"Really?" Susan replied, checking her watch a little surprised by this. "I never knew we'd slept so long."

"Well we didn't get much sleep last night." Jarrod reminded her cheekily, putting an arm around her shoulders and holding her closely.

"I guess that's true." She whispered in response, settling into his arms and resting her head against his chest.

"We're on final approach, to Norman Manley International Airport just north of Kingston." The pilot announced over the announce system. "Please put on your seat belts for the final approach. The weather is hot and dry, with highs likely to hit as high as 80 degrees, so I hope you all remembered your sun tan lotion. We thank you for choosing our airline and wish you all a happy holiday."

They felt the plane touching down and begin to slow up, eventually coming to almost a complete stop.

"It looks like we've arrived." Susan stated. "It won't be long now."

"I guess not." Jarrod replied. "I can't wait till we get to the hotel."

As the plane taxied into the terminal, Susan unclipped her seatbelt and reached up to the overhead compartment for her hand luggage. Jarrod got out of his own seat and grabbed his bag from under the seat, beginning to make his way into the aisle.

"Welcome to Jamaica." The stewardess greeted them as they stepped out of the plane onto the steps. Jarrod put an arm around his wife, and they took a look around as they made their way down to the terminal.

"Welcome indeed." Jarrod whispered in her ear as they looked around at the beautiful scenery beyond the airport fence. "I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of fun here."

Meanwhile, back at Ocean Bluff, Fran and Theo made their way to the hospital for her latest check up. She was booked in for another ultra sound, something she was getting more than a little excited about. The doctor came out of the room to greet them.

"We're ready for you now Mrs. Martin." She greeted her. "Have you been taking your fluids as I asked?"

"It's not my first time, I know the drill." Fran informed her, making her way to the bed and hauling herself up onto it. "I feel like I'm about to burst."

"Well I'll try not to take too long." The doctor replied, beginning to prepare Fran for the procedure, rubbing the cold gel onto her belly. "I see here you're almost four months along."

"Almost." Fran confirmed. "I've felt it moving a couple of times now."

"Well I'm pleased to hear that." The doctor told her. "Hopefully we'll get a nice clear picture."

Theo held Fran's hand as the doctor began pressing down on her stomach with the scanner, moving it around for a good image.

"Well it looks like the little one's decided to play nicely today." The doctor said with a smile. "I almost never get such a clear picture so quickly."

"I can see it." Theo laughed nervously, pointing towards the screen. "Look, I can see it."

"It's so much clearer than the last one." Fran commented, holding Theo's hand more tightly. "It's so beautiful."

"With your genes that was always a given." Theo complimented her, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"You're going to be a real heartbreaker little guy." Fran cooed, looking at the picture. The doctor moved the wand around with a curious look on her face.

"That's funny." She responded. "I thought you hadn't been told the sex of the baby."

"We haven't." Theo replied honestly.

"Would you like to?" She asked. They looked at each other for a second, considering their options. Eventually Fran nodded.

"Can you tell us?" Theo asked the doctor.

"I can now." She told them. "It's a boy."

Theo leant over, hugging Fran tightly as they both laughed.

"We're having a son!" He yelled excitedly. "We're going to have a little boy!"

"Mrs. Martin, you called the baby little guy before I told you that." The doctor reminded her. "I was only just able to tell the sex of the baby. How did you know that?"

Fran and Theo looked at each other, a little confused. It hadn't really occurred to them that she had seemed to know that they were having a son. They really couldn't explain it.

"I don't honestly know." Fran told her. "Maybe it's just a lucky guess."

"It was a fifty/fifty shot right?" Theo stated. The doctor just looked at her, a little unconvinced by this.

"I'll just download some pictures." She told them. "Feel free to clean up."

As she left, Theo and Fran were almost as curious as she was.

"She's right; somehow I did know the baby was a boy." Fran told him quietly. "Theo, there was no way I could know."

"Well not a whole lot about all this has been normal." Theo reminded her. "Remember that it wasn't even five months ago that you probably wouldn't be able to have kids."

"Of course I remember Theo." She muttered. "I was the one that got told my asshole of a father scarred my uterus. Of course, they later said that they had made a mistake."

"Fran, you don't think this has something to do with that ritual we performed do you?" Theo asked her. "You know, the protection ritual for Lily's dad?"

"Of course I think it has something to do with that Theo, I always did." She sighed. "As much as I'd like to think they were wrong, even the doctors wanted to know what happened. Scarring like that doesn't just disappear without a trace. That only happened after the ritual."

"But neither of us remembers what happened after that." Theo stated in response. "We both tried to remember what happened, but we couldn't. All we knew was that you were returned and the ritual had been corrected."

"I think I might have remembered something, but I don't remember what." Fran told him. "I can't explain it; it was like I remember seeing a boy's face when I looked at the ultra-sound. I don't know how to explain it, but I just knew the baby was a boy."

"Daggeron said that if we were meant to remember what happened after the ritual we would." Theo told her. "Do you think that somehow you were healed as a kind of gift?"

"A gift." Fran whispered, smiling as though she was trying it out as an idea. Her hand strayed to her abdomen. "I kind of like that idea. We were given a gift."

"So why wouldn't we have been allowed to remember that?" Theo asked her. "What difference would it have made if they just told us? It would have meant so much to you, to both of us."

"Maybe we were meant to find out for ourselves." Fran suggested, taking his hand as he helped her off the bed and over to the sink to clean up. "You know how happy we were when we found out. We were over the moon when we found out we were expecting junior."

"I guess that's true." He replied. "Maybe it is best we didn't know. Maybe we were meant to let things happen naturally."

"I guess all that remains for us to do now is go home and start thinking of some boy's names." Fran remarked as she started to straighten out her clothes. "We're having a son Theo; we're going to have a little boy!"

"You know I'm looking forward to that." He answered, throwing his arms around her and holding her warmly. "I can't wait."

Meanwhile, back in Jamaica, Jarrod and Susan finally cleared their way through security and made their way into the main terminal. They were greeted by a band playing steel drums, welcoming visitors to their native land. They watched as one of the band members stopped playing to begin dancing. An impressive crowd began to gather around them as they performed.

"OK, I have a feeling I'm going to love this place." Susan told him. "Can you believe this guy?"

"They really know how to put on a show for the tourists." Jarrod agreed. "This guy could give Lily and Gabby a run for their money."

"Jarrod, get the camera." Susan instructed him, gesturing to him to put the bags down. "Lily and Gabby are going to want to see this."

Jarrod quickly fished out his video camera, checking there was a tape in it, and started it up just as the dancer began some of the more acrobatic parts of his routine. As he performed a seemingly impossible twisting backward somersault to finish the routine, the audience, including Susan applauded. He looked around, taking in the applause.

"Thank you!" He announced, taking in their adulation. "My daughter is bringing around some fliers; we'll be holding performances on the beach a little way from here all week. Enjoy your holiday."

He made his way back to the band, talking with them and laughing, clearly pleased with the response to his performance. Jarrod put away the video camera and picked up the bags.

"I guess we should be making our way to the hotel." He whispered to his wife. "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get hungry."

"You're always hungry." She chuckled in response as they made their way out to the taxi rank. As Jarrod was about to hand his bags to one of the cabbies, the dancer from the terminal came rushing out and gently took his sleeve.

"Get out of here kid!" He called to the cabbie, waving him off.

"Come on man, I'm just trying to make a living!" The cabbie protested. "I don't try and ruin your livelihood."

"Just get out of here before I call the cops and have them check your details." He warned him. The cabbie just grumbled something under his breath and got back into the cab, before driving away. Jarrod just looked at him a little annoyed.

"Sorry about that, you really have to watch out for unlicensed taxis." He told them, sweeping his hair out of his face. "If you're lucky, they only take you the long way and rip you off. If not...well...let's just say it's best to stick to licensed companies."

"Thanks." Susan responded. "The tourist guides said that, but we didn't know..."

"It's alright; I just hate it when people leave the country with a bad impression because of some bad experiences." He told her. "I'm Jamaar."

"Jarrod." Jarrod greeted him with a handshake. Jamaar was a little shorter than him, though had an incredibly impressive physique, no doubt the result of his dancing and acrobatics. He wore bright, gaudy clothes and had long dreadlocks that made him look somewhat clichéd. "We enjoyed your show."

"Thanks." He replied, hailing them another, more reputable taxi. "We come here a couple of times a week to drum up some business for our performances."

"Well if it's anything like what we just saw, then you can bet we'll come along." Susan assured him. "I'm Susan by the way."

"I'm pleased to meet you both." He replied, shaking her hand and helping put their bags into the cab. He noticed the ring on her finger and smiled. "Is this your honeymoon?"

"It sure is." Jarrod told him with a large grin.

"Well, I hope you have a great time." He told them. "I look forward to seeing you at one of my performances before you go."

"You can count on it." Jarrod told him as they got into the cab. "I'll see you around."

As the cab pulled away, Jamaar waved to them, watching them go.

"Well he seemed nice enough." Jarrod commented as the cab began the journey to the hotel.

"He certainly seemed friendly." Susan agreed, holding him closely. "I can't wait until we get to the hotel."

"We'll be there soon enough." Jarrod assured her. "You know, I have a feeling that everything's going to be great."

Meanwhile, in Ocean Bluff, Fran and Theo came into Jungle Karma with the latest pictures from their scan. She found Michael on a break, sitting with a newspaper in his hands.

"Hey Fran, how are you?" He asked her, closing the paper and putting it down on the table. "You were going for another scan today weren't you?"

"I was." She told him, pulling out her pictures. "We found out the sex of the baby."

"You know what you're having?" Michael asked her. "Are you telling anyone yet?"

"It's a boy." Theo told him. "We're having a son."

"Well I couldn't be happier for you both." He told them, taking the scans and beginning to look through them. "These are really good."

"We're both really happy." Fran told him. "We can't wait."

"It'll be good for David to have a little playmate." Theo thought out loud. "We're all so lucky."

"Hey guys." Lily greeted them as she came over to their table. "Dad was just checking out our recruitment ad in the paper and...ooh...baby pictures!"

She took them from her father and started inspecting them with a misty look in her eyes as she looked at her friend's unborn child.

"The pictures are really clear." Theo told her. "The doctors were able to tell us the sex of the baby."

"It's a boy." Fran told her cheerfully. Lily hugged them both warmly.

"That's so great for you guys!" She gushed as she handed back the pictures. "I can't believe you asked though, I remember I wanted it to be a surprise."

Fran and Theo looked at each other for a second, thinking about what had happened, and trying to decide if they should explain. Eventually Fran spoke.

"That's the weird thing, we didn't ask." Fran told her. "When I saw the scan, it was like something happened in my mind; it was like I already knew."

"You already knew?" Lily asked her. "How?"

"Well, we think it had something to do with that ritual the Mystics helped us perform." Theo explained, looking around for inspiration. "You remember the one that went wrong? We both disappeared remember?"

"Yeah, I remember that." Lily told them. "None of us remembered what happened when you disappeared. You didn't either."

"Well, you remember those...problems...I had." Fran told her. "The doctors thought they made a mistake about the damage because it seemed to disappear without a trace. We're starting to think that it's something to do with what happened after the ritual. When I saw the picture on the screen, I saw an image; it was a boy's face. Somehow I just knew the baby was a boy. I think what I saw was a latent memory of what happened after the ritual."

"Well that's weird." Lily commented. "Still, it's not unwelcome. I'm so happy for you guys."

Meanwhile, upstairs in the main room, RJ was taking a break from the kitchen, and taking the opportunity to catch a few minutes with his son when he heard the phone ringing. Making his way over to the phone, he answered it.

"Jungle Karma Pizza, how may I help you?" He answered the phone.

"RJ, this is Andrew Hartford." The voice on the other end answered. "How is everything?"

"Everything's alright so far." RJ answered, holding his son closely. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"It's probably nothing, but I want to be cautious given the circumstances." Hartford replied. "Two days ago the San Angeles museum was broken into, the thieves made off with a few artefacts."

"So why are you calling me?" RJ asked him.

"One of the artefacts was the crystal necklace." Andrew informed him. RJ's face slipped.

"Isn't that..."

"It's the one Miratrix is trapped in." Dr. Hartford interrupted him. "Since other artefacts are missing, I'm hoping that it's a coincidence, or that the thieves just thought it was valuable. I just wanted us all to be ready in case it's something more serious."

"I'll keep my ear to the ground." RJ informed him. "Thanks for the heads up."

As he hung up, he hoped that Dr. Hartford's original suspicion was correct, and that the necklace was merely stolen as a trinket to sell for profit. If anyone knew the true nature of the gem, then it could lead to trouble in the future.

At that moment, in San Angeles prison, the former prosecution attorney Tyler Drake was busy working out in the exercise yard. His toned, heavily tattooed torso glistened in the sun as sweat poured down him from exertion as he performed a set of pull-ups.

The rest of the exercise yard was empty. None of the other prisoners went out when he was there, and despite his former career, none of them dared to approach him, the few that had quickly regretted their decision. He had already sent four men to the intensive care ward for trying to exact revenge on him for their convictions. A guard approached him and coughed from a safe distance to attract his attention. None of the guards approached within arm's length of him without at least one other guard there with a gun trained on him. Since he had lost the power Miratrix had bestowed upon him, he was no longer bullet-proof.

"You have a visitor." The guard informed him. "Your new lawyer."

Tyler dropped to the ground and turned around. Instinctively the guard's hand strayed to his holster, unclipping the strap.

"Lead the way." Tyler beckoned him, mopping himself down with a towel, before throwing on a shirt. He was curious as to exactly who could want to see him, or why. He was led down the hall to the visitor's room, where he was quickly searched by another guard before being allowed in. He found a man with red hair and a red goatee and moustache waiting inside. He was wearing a suit, and carrying a briefcase.

"I was told I have a new lawyer." Tyler remarked, viewing him suspiciously. "I don't recall asking for one."

"You didn't." The stranger answered. "I'm not a lawyer, I just needed a story to get in and speak with you. My name is Sean."

"So why exactly do you want to speak to me Sean?" Tyler asked him.

"I wanted to speak to you about some interesting memories my friends and I have been having." He replied. "You see until a couple of weeks ago, we were under the impression we were injured in a car crash, though just recently, we've been starting to have other memories coming to us."

"As fascinating as all this is..."

"I think we have similar problems." Sean told him. "People with a fetish for coloured spandex?"

"You have something against the Overdrive team too?" Tyler asked him.

"Well, not exactly, ours is a different team." He replied. "Of course, we were hoping that if we pool our resources, then we could deal with our respective problems in due course."

"Well as attractive an offer as that sounds, I don't really have many resources at my disposal right now." Tyler told him. "My power was destroyed, my beloved Miratrix is gone and I'm locked up in here."

"Well, what if that wasn't the case?" Sean asked him. "Would you be interested in some payback?"

"Of course I would." He replied bitterly. "They took everything from me."

"Well, I think we could arrange something." Sean told him, pulling the crystal necklace out of his pocket and showing it to him. "You let my friends and I worry about arranging your release."


	77. A New Enemy

Sean made his way from San Angeles prison back to the apartment building he was sharing with his accomplices. He came back, finding Tangaroa and Grace sparring. As soon as he entered, they stopped and turned to him.

"So is he in?" Grace asked him.

"Tyler figured helping us take out the Rangers would be better than spending the next hundred years or so inside." Sean replied. "We should start getting ready to release him. How's our boss?"

"He said we've not to disturb him until we have Tyler." Grace replied with a little snort of disgust. "He's busy meditating."

"There's no reason to be so disrespectful." Sean reprimanded her. "If it wasn't for him, then we would still be under that memory charm. We'd have no idea who we really were or the power we possess."

"She's just sore that since she got her memory back she found out her precious Jarrod's off the market." Tangaroa said sarcastically. "Our poor little Grace remembered she was dumped."

"Keep your mouth shut!" She hissed in response, reaching for her weapon. Sean just shook his head.

"Now, we don't need any of that." He told her. "After all, tonight we have to make a little after-hours visit to the local prison. There'll be plenty of action to he had then.

Back in Ocean Bluff, RJ came into the restaurant, carrying David, gently rocking him to sleep. He found that the worst of the lunch rush had since ended, and Lily, Gabby, Megan and Michael were still crowding around Fran and Theo, gushing over the revelation that they now knew the gender of their child, and passing around the ultrasound.

"I see you're working productively." RJ joked, seeing Gabby sitting down.

"Oh give her a break RJ." Lily reprimanded her husband. "Right now she is one of only two employees we actually have."

"I guess we should have been looking at recruiting a lot earlier." He mused, looking over to Michael. "I take it the ad's in the paper."

"It is now." Michael told him, showing him the newspaper.

"Is everything alright RJ?" Fran asked him. "You seem a little distracted."

"It's probably nothing; I really hope it is, but its best we all know in case we need to be ready." He replied, gesturing them all in closer. "Andrew Hartford just called. The San Angeles museum was robbed. The crystal necklace was stolen."

"The one Miratrix is captured in?" Lily asked him, recalling the news stories from when their friends in San Angeles were on trial.

"Other things were stolen too, so he hopes that it's just a crook who doesn't know its real value, but he thought we should be warned." He told them. "He's trying to keep track of the local fences to see if it gets sold on. Not many have the contacts to be able to risk dealing in high value stolen jewels, and he doubts anyone will want to hold onto them for too long. If it gets sold on then we can presume that whoever stole it doesn't know what it is."

"What if it isn't sold?" Michael asked him.

"Andrew's already got the laser under close observation." He replied. "If the crystal isn't sold on, all we can hope is that they don't get a hold of that laser."

Meanwhile, in a laboratory in a hidden location, a blonde a few years older than Lily sat at a desk, watching some security monitors, while playing with a deck of playing cards, flicking them into a waste paper basket to stave off the worst of the boredom. She looked to her watch, and groaned as she realised she had now been here watching the footage for just short of eight hours. Her communicator bleeped.

"Finally, maybe now I can go home." She grumbled, answering it.

"Tori, how are things looking there in Blue Bay Harbour?" Andrew Hartford's voice asked through her morpher.

"The same way they were two hours ago." She replied, looking back to the monitors. "Look, I know you're worried about the crystal necklace going missing and everything, but this is getting seriously boring. No one's come for this thing."

"Well I'll feel more comfortable in a few days, or at least once I know where the crystal is." He told her. "I know you have other commitments..."

"Yeah, her name's Sally." Tori replied sarcastically. "And she's already promised she'll never forgive me for missing her school play."

"Believe me, I know all about the joys of parenting." Dr. Hartford replied.

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but having a son that's born as an 18 year old isn't exactly the same as a 5 year old pouting because her mommy missed her opening night as Cinderella." She remarked. "I know this is important, it's just getting me down a little."

"I'm sure Blake's taking fine care of your daughter." He reassured her. "She'll have forgotten all about it by the time you get home at the weekend. If anything is going to happen, it'll happen in the next couple of days."

"I know, I just hate missing these moments with her." Tori sighed deeply. Just then, she heard a noise coming from further down the hall. "I'll call you back."

She closed the communication link and got out of her chair, heading down the hall cautiously. The lab was deathly silent, and there was very little light. The janitorial staff had all gone home hours ago, and so she knew that she was alone in the building, or at least she was meant to be.

Seeing nothing at the end of the corridor, she went back into the surveillance room, noting that almost half a dozen cameras had blacked out. As she watched, another went down, and then another. She noticed a pattern right away; the cameras were all covering the path to the main lab where the laser was. Of course the crooks had a big surprise waiting for them. The path would lead them right past the surveillance office and straight into her.

She stepped into the hall, and waited for a few seconds, listening as the footsteps came closer. Eventually, a tall, red-haired man with a goatee rounder the corner, smirking as he saw her.

"I was beginning to think this place was deserted." He greeted her. "The name's Sean."

"You'll soon wish it was." She replied, slipping into a guard. "You're not getting that laser."

"Now that's a little rude don't you think?" He asked her, waving a finger as though scolding a schoolgirl. "I've introduced myself; don't you think you should at least tell me your name before we start this?"

"Tori." She responded. "I'm the one that's standing between you and that laser."

"Now isn't that always the way?" He asked in a laugh. "You see, I got a pretty little necklace for a friend of mine, only like all gifts, it came batteries not included as they say. It turns out I need that laser to make it work properly."

"So you took the necklace." She snapped.

"I sure did." He replied, holding it up for her to see.

"I guess I can kill two birds with one stone then." She roared, throwing herself into the attack. She threw several punches and kicks, all of which Sean managed to dodge or block, up until she managed to score a kick to his chest, staggering him.

"You're pretty good." He complimented her, before resuming the battle. Tori quickly found herself under pressure between his almost equal skill and greater strength. He sent her skidding across the floor on her back after a hard kick to the ribs.

"You're a pretty girl, and given the rock on your finger I'm guessing you have a man to get back to." He taunted her. "Why not take the easy way and just walk right now?"

"Because I still have a few tricks." She screamed, summoning her water power and throwing a powerful blast into him which threw him hard against the wall. Sean pulled himself to his feet and laughed.

"Nice little trick." He stated, before summoning his animal spirit, casting forward a large, glowing adder. "Of course, I still have some too."

Tori dodged its first lunge, but was caught by the next, its ethereal fangs tearing a painful gash in her side. It lunged at her again, wrapping itself around her and started to squeeze the air out of her. Tori struggled for breath, realising that she had horribly underestimated her opponent. Given co-operation in the past between Pai Zhuq and the Ninja Academies, she was aware of what animal spirits were, she just never thought she'd have to face one. She came up with a desperate plan to free herself. Using all of her water powers, she increased the water pressure in the emergency sprinklers dramatically, blowing them out, and focussing them into a stream under such high pressure, that it cut into Sean, causing him to scream in pain. Losing concentration, his animal spirit dissipated.

"I'll make you suffer for that!" He snarled as he advanced on her. Tori reached her morpher and activated it.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, HA!" Just as her uniform formed around her, Sean connected with a punch, heavily augmented by his zukado power. Tori was thrown into the wall with such velocity, it was only her power that stopped her passing out. She was certain that she'd have been killed if it wasn't for her suit.

"Give it up girl!" He instructed her. "You can't beat us!"

"Us?" She asked him. At that point, a powerful purple energy blast completely engulfed her, smashing her out of her Ranger form and leaving her unconscious on the floor. Sean made his way over to her and checked her pulse.

"Leave her, it doesn't matter." His boss ordered him. "Let's just get what we came for. Your friends should be arranging Tyler's parole as we speak."

True to his word, at that moment, Tyler was sitting in his cell in San Angeles prison, when he heard a commission outside. He looked down into the yard as the sirens sounded, to see all the guards rushing into the courtyard. Before he had seen the Ranger's battles in San Angeles, he would never have thought anyone could harness that kind of power, but then he had held that much power back when he was with Miratrix. He watched as a large, dark-skinned man marched casually through the guards, tossing them this way and that as though they were toys. Occasionally he'd see a flicker of a glowing alligator flashing through the gaps, and he smiled as he realised that this was his rescue. He turned as his door flew open and he saw a small, Asian looking woman standing before him. A glowing vulture recoiled into her from the wreckage of the cell door.

"We're the parole board." She told him with a sarcastic smile. "We've just arranged an early release date for you."

"I was wondering when my appeal would come through." He replied, following her as they left the cell. He stepped over the crumpled, unconscious bodies of several guards in the hallway. "So are you driving or should I?"

The next morning, Andrew Hartford was ripped from his bed as the phone went, quickly picking up the handset.

"Hello?" He asked nervously. When Tori hadn't called back as she had promised, he had sent Mack and Ronny over to Blue Bay Harbour to check on the situation. It wasn't like Tori not to call when she said she would, and if there was trouble she, as a fully-powered Ranger couldn't handle, then he wanted to be sure that the team he sent was safe.

"Dad, it's me, we found Tori." Mack began, a distinctly unsettled tone hanging in his voice. "She was attacked, the laser's gone."

"How is she?" Dr. Hartford asked, guilt starting to tear at his heart for putting Tori in that situation. She had told them to call her if they needed her, and as a Ranger, he knew she understood the risks, but it didn't stop him feeling like it was wrong to ask her to stand guard.

"She's being taken to a hospital as we speak." Mack told him. "Her powers took the worst of it, but she's in a pretty bad way. She still hasn't regained consciousness. We've called her husband, he's on his way."

"Thank God she's alright." Dr. Hartford gasped, feeling at least some relief in knowing that he hadn't managed to get one of his friends killed with his errand.

"Dad, the laser's gone." Mack reminded him. "I think that makes it pretty clear. Whoever stole that necklace knows what it is."

"That means they can now release Miratrix." He replied.

"Dad, there's something else." Mack told him. "I just heard the news on the radio as we got here. Tyler Drake broke out of prison last night."

"Well that's too many coincidences for my liking." Dr. Hartford replied. "Mack, make sure Tori gets to hospital safely, and then you and Ronny stay there. The last thing we need is whoever did this having another go. I'll call around the others and make sure everyone knows to be on the lookout."

Meanwhile, back in Ocean Bluff, Tyler got out of the shower, and changed into some fresh clothes, tying his hair back into a ponytail as he entered the living room.

"How does it feel to be a free man?" Sean asked him, greeting the former lawyer.

"Not as great as it'll feel to finally have my beloved Miratrix free again." He replied, staring longingly at the crystal necklace and the laser on the table. "Now all we need is an energy source powerful enough to power the laser and I'll be complete once more."

"Well don't say we aren't good to you." Sean responded. "The boss can power it for you. Soon, you'll have your lovely bride back, and then we can all start worrying about settling a few old scores."

"Wait, the boss?" Tyler asked him. "I thought this was your show."

"Well, not quite." He answered. "You see, it turns out that there was some kind of memory charm on us that stopped us remembering who we really were and what we were able to do. No doubt it was put in place by some more of those multi-coloured killjoys to stop us seeking payback."

"I want to see him." He put down flatly.

"Only I speak to the boss." Sean stated. "Even my allies haven't seen him."

"Well being a lawyer I'm used to being the one in control." Tyler replied dryly. "If I'm going to be a puppet, then I want to know who's pulling the strings."

"Just be grateful you're enjoying all this freedom, and soon you'll be enjoying all that power." Sean told him.

"Sean, I really appreciate your protective nature, but perhaps it is time your associates know who they're working with." A voice came from the other room.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" He asked in response. "You said it was best to keep to the shadows for now, the less people that know you're released the better."

"Well there is a time to lift the curtain." He announced as he stepped into the room. "Besides, after spending months in a jar, followed by the next few months digging myself out of Mesagog's fortress, I'm getting quite sick of hiding."

"Very well." Sean replied as he noted the stunned looks on the other's faces. "I'm sure you all recognise his picture from the papers. This is the boss everyone, meet Master Lothor."


	78. Lothor's Return

Tori's eyes fluttered open slowly as she started to come to. Blake came to her side as he noticed her starting to stir.

"Take it easy Tor." He told her softly as she tried to remove her oxygen mask. "You're in the hospital."

"You gave us all quite a scare." Mack told her as she looked around, seeing the Red Ranger standing before her.

"What happened?" She asked them, finally removing her mask. Mack and Ronny looked at each other a little nervously.

"You were attacked, we found you unconscious in the lab." Ronny informed her. "The place was trashed; it looks like you put up a hell of a fight."

"Not good enough." She grumbled. "Where's Sally? Blake..."

"Sally's fine." He assured her. "Kelley picked her up after the play. She's being taken care of."

"I want to see her." Tori protested, trying to get off the bed; however a sharp pain in her back and shoulder forced her back down.

"You're not going anywhere until the doctor clears you." Blake told her flatly. "I told you, Sally's fine."

"She has to be scared, I need to see her." Tori continued.

"I promise I'll go and check on her tomorrow." Blake reassured his wife with a little smile. "She's safe with Kelley. I think she'd much rather mommy got her rest and got better."

"Dad said we were to stay with you here until we know more." Mack told her. "He was worried in case they came back."

"Do you know who it was?" Ronny asked her.

"The guy I saw was tall, older, maybe in his mid to late twenties." Tori told them. "He had red hair, he had an Irish accent."

"He was able to fight you, even with your powers." Ronny reminded her. "Are you sure he was human?"

"The way he fought, he was trained in Pai Zhuq." She told them. "He attacked me with an animal spirit. It was an adder."

"I'll call RJ." Mack told her. "If there's a Pai Zhuq out there attacking people, he might know something."

"There was someone else." Tori told them.

"Who?" Mack asked her.

"I didn't see, but he hit me pretty hard with a power blast." She informed them. "All I saw was a purple flash. I can't help feeling like it was familiar. It was like I've seen that before."

"Really?" Blake asked her.

"I don't know, I guess I did get hit pretty hard." She conceded. "The ringing in my ears still hasn't stopped."

"Just try to get some rest." Blake instructed her. "There's a certain little five year old that wants her mommy to come home."

"So she isn't still upset I missed her play?" Tori asked him.

"She just wants her mommy to get better." Blake assured her. "Now, if you don't mind, we have some phone calls to make. If someone is trying to release Miratrix again, then she might want a little payback on the Overdrive Rangers..."

"She might go after the returning Rangers too." Mack stated. "You did fight her as well."

"I'll call Kira." Ronny told him. "She lives near Adam, so she can let him know what's happening."

"I'll call dad, and then I'll call Xander." Mack chipped in. "The more people that know about this the better."

With that, Ronny and Mack left the room, leaving Blake alone with his wife. He took her hand, gently playing with her wedding ring.

"You don't need to feel bad." He said reassuringly. "They got the drop on you, it happens to the best of us."

"Blake, I'm still a Ranger." She muttered, shifting herself into a more comfortable position. "I should be able to handle things like this."

"Tori, you're only human." Blake reminded her. "You can't be expected to handle everything by yourself. We all make mistakes, even those of us who don't still have the spandex."

"I was meant to guard that laser." She told him. "Now because of me, they're going to bring Miratrix back."

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it." He told her. "In the meantime, you just take care of yourself."

"I'll tell you one thing; I hope I get another crack at the creep that jumped me." She muttered. "No one humiliates me like that and gets away with it."

Meanwhile, back in the apartment in Ocean Bluff, Lothor was using a portion of his power to energise the laser. Tyler watched on intently as it sprung to life.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Tyler asked him. "Do you have enough power?"

"It will leave me a little drained, but I should be fine after a little power nap." He replied as the crystal started to glow. "It shouldn't take much longer."

The crystal started glowing more brightly as he increased the power steadily. Finally, the crystal generated a column of light a little way away from him, which started to slowly form into a human shape. Finally, as the power started to fade, Miratrix formed out of the light. Tyler walked up to his mistress and knelt before her.

"I never thought I'd see you again my love." He declared, looking up at her in awe. "I thought our enemies had taken you from me forever."

"Who are you?" She asked, looking over into the corner where Lothor was getting his bearings after the exertion of using his power to free her.

"This is Lothor." Tyler told her. "He's the one who provided the power needed to free you."

"Lothor, I remember hearing about you." She replied, thinking about it. "You're one of the most famous space ninjas in history. I idolised you."

"I can see you studied our ways." He replied, gesturing to her swords.

"You were the one that inspired me to follow the path of the sword." She told him, nodding in response. Tyler looked up, a little annoyed at being ignored.

"My love, we have brought you back so that we may have our vengeance on our enemies." He announced, reminding her he was there. "The Overdrive Rangers will pay for what they did to you."

"I have a few scores I'd like to settle." Lothor told her. "Of course from what I heard, there are only three of the Rangers I faced who have powers. My vengeance can wait."

"The other three want to settle up with the Jungle Fury Rangers." Tyler told her. "Apparently they also have something against the Mystic Force Rangers."

"They were the ones who altered their memories." Lothor explained. "When I found them I could sense that their memories had been altered. Once I lifted the glamour, they were more than willing to help in exchange for a little payback."

"Since we're already in Ocean Bluff, I suppose we're going after the Jungle Fury Rangers first." Miratrix suggested. "Then what do we do?"

"With the power we'll have at our disposal once I've regenerated and you've given Tyler here his powers back, we'll have the power to start hunting down the Rangers." Lothor told her. "If that little incident with the Dino Thunder team taught me anything, it's that those Rangers have a habit of turning up where they're not wanted, even when it isn't their town."

"I learned that lesson myself." Miratrix stated, remembering when the Returning Rangers showed up to assist the Overdrive team.

"I guess there's only one solution then." Lothor replied. "We just need to find everyone that wore a brightly coloured spandex suit, and hunt them down, one by one."

Meanwhile, Fran was in her apartment, busily rummaging through clothes nervously. Although it would be the next semester before her job officially started, the teacher she would be studying under was a former colleague of Tommy's, and so he had managed to call in a favour, meaning that she was being invited to observe the class for the last week of term.

Of course, now she was more than a little self-conscious. She wanted to make a good impression. Of course, with her expanding waist line, she was quickly finding that many of her more formal outfits were far too tight.

"I can't believe I have nothing to wear!" She shrieked, throwing aside another skirt.

"Fran, you need to calm down a little." He told her. "I just bought you some maternity dresses a couple of weeks ago."

"Theo, I'm trying to make a good impression!" She whined, flailing her arms in frustration. "I'll look like a walking big top!"

"Fran, you're pregnant. They knew that when they hired you." He reminded her, grabbing her as she decimated the room further in a desperate search for something to wear. "They already know that you'll be missing a few months after summer, they won't be expecting you to be ready to start, you're only there to observe."

"I know that." She complained, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's just, this is my dream job. I really want to make the best start."

As he sat next to her, putting his arm around her, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know it'll be months before I start the assistant's position, and I know it'll be a year at least before I start teaching properly but I just wanted to make the right impression." She explained. "Mr. Falconer, the teacher I'm training under was my English teacher when I was in High School. He was an amazing influence on me. It's because of him I wanted to be a teacher."

"I know it's always hard to relax around your mentor." He told her. "It took me a long time before I was able to relax enough around Master Mao to actually learn anything."

"He really taught me a lot." She told him, remembering her old teacher fondly. "It was because of him that I fell in love with reading so much. Whenever he read, he really made the stories come alive. It was because of him that I realised when I read, I could go somewhere else and leave my life behind. If it wasn't for him, I don't know if I could have dealt with the way my parents treated me."

"It sounds like he really means a lot to you." He commented. Fran just nodded her head in response.

"I guess I can wear one of my dresses." She murmured. "He never was judgemental. I suppose he'll be fine."

Theo got a little grin on his face and got up from the bed, kneeling next to it and slid a box out from underneath it. He handed it to Fran.

"This was meant to be a part of your birthday present, but I think you'd like it now." He told her. Fran smiled as she saw the outfit inside.

"Theo, this is beautiful." She gushed. "You didn't get me this!"

"I wanted to." He told her warmly, kissing her cheek. "It's not every day my wife turns 21. I was planning to take you to your favourite restaurant for the night, and I thought you might like to get dressed up a little."

"Theo, this is too much." She sighed. "You know we don't have much money..."

"Fran, I can see how much this means to you." He told her flatly. "I want you to wear that tomorrow. Enjoy your new job."

"I really love you, do you know that?" She asked him, "Thank you Theo."

"Just try to relax and have a good time." Theo told her. "Goodness knows we could all do with something to be happy about right now."

Over in Jamaica, Jarrod and Susan had been thoroughly enjoying their honeymoon. It was coming to the end of their first week there, and they had spent a long time sightseeing. As darkness fell, they were making their way along the beach towards their hotel.

As they made their way along the water-front, enjoying the peace as the water lapped lazily on the beach, they noticed a group beginning to build a bonfire.

"It looks like they're having a party here." Jarrod observed, seeing them beginning to set up. They made their way around the perimeter, noticing musicians setting up instruments, while refreshments and barbecues were being prepared.

"It looks like this is going to be great." Jarrod told her. "Maybe we'll get a decent view from the balcony."

"Wouldn't you rather be here?" A familiar voice came from behind them. As they turned around, they saw Jamaar, the dancer they had met at the airport approaching them. He shook both their hands as he came over to them. "It's not like we're exclusive with the guest list."

"I thought I recognised the band." Susan said excitedly as she looked around. "We've been meaning to come to one of your shows."

"Well you're perfectly welcome to stay. We should be starting up soon." He told them. "Until then, why don't you head over to the grill? They should have something ready shortly."

"Well I was starting to get hungry." Jarrod replied with a shrug. "I think I'd like to stay for the show."

"Well I just need to help the band setting up over here." He told them. "I'll see you in a little while."

JKP was doing a roaring trade that night. Since it was close to the beginning of summer, many were taking the time to enjoy a night out. Lily, Gabby and Dom were all rushed off their feet serving and clearing tables, while RJ and Michael were slaving away in the kitchen. Casey came into the restaurant with Camille and Holly, seeing the carnage. Lily came over to him, mopping her brow with her wrist.

"Casey, could you give us a hand?" She asked him. "We're getting killed here!"

"Casey looked at her sympathetically. She and the others looked to be just about dead on their feet. It was clear that so far RJ's recruitment drive hadn't borne fruit. Because of the holidays, a lot of the high school kids had left town for a couple of weeks, so it would be a while before many of them came back and started looking for work. Of course, that didn't help them in the meantime.

"It's OK." Camille sighed, realising that they needed him. Although Casey didn't work there anymore, it was obvious they needed help.

"You're a life saver!" Lily said in an exhausted tone. "We should have a t-shirt for you in the back somewhere."

"I'll be back shortly." Casey told her. He turned to Camille, kissing his daughter's head before addressing his wife.

"I guess dinner will have to wait." He told her. "Wait for me upstairs, I'm sure Megan would be glad for some adult company."

As she headed upstairs, Casey stopped short for a second. He made his way to the door, looking outside intently.

"Casey, what's wrong?" Dom asked him.

"It's probably nothing." He replied. "I just thought I saw something."

Back in Jamaica, Susan and Jarrod were enjoying the show as Jamaar and his fellow dancers were performing a spectacular performance. Jarrod held Susan closely as they set up for the climax.

Jamaar made his way around to the opposite side of the bonfire as the beat from the drums grew faster. He pointed to the flames.

"He can't be serious!" Susan gasped. "That has to be about eight feet high!"

Almost in response, he ran towards it, before performing a huge somersault, clearing the flames with ease, before coming to rest a little way in front of them. The audience gave him a standing ovation for the display. As he paced around, accepting the applause, something caught his eye. Performing a cartwheel into a back somersault, he brought his feet down across the head of one of the crowd, sending him falling to the ground. As everyone turned to stare, one of the women standing pointed to the ground beside him.

"That's my purse!" She shrieked. The purse snatcher started to get up, but was caught by another hard kick to the head from Jamaar.

"Rush him!" Someone screamed, at which two men ran out of the crowd. He managed to deflect one of them with a massive spin-kick, though Jarrod intercepted him, bearing him to the ground and holding him in a painful hold, forcing him to drop the knife he was holding. A couple of cops showed up, escorting the punks away.

"I believe this is yours." Jamaar told the woman, handing her the purse. She thanked him as she checked, realising all her possessions were there before leaving. Jarrod came to Jamaar's side.

"It looks like you aren't just impressive on the dance floor." Jarrod complimented him. "You had some impressive moves there."

"I've done some martial arts in my time." He told the Lion Master as the band played, allowing the assembled guests to start dancing. "I added a few of the moves to my routine. Anyway, thanks for the save. That guy with the knife would have had me."

"I just don't like to see an unfair fight." Jarrod told him. "Anyway, it looks like the party's starting."

"Daddy!" A little voice shrieked as a young girl ran over to him, hugging the dancer. "Daddy, I was so scared."

"I was too sweetie." Jamaar replied. Susan joined them.

"Jarrod, are you alright?" Susan asked her husband.

"It's unfortunate that a couple of punks decided this would be a good place to score some easy cash." Jamaar told them. "Anyway, I'd like you both to meet my daughter. Lakeisha, this is Jarrod and Susan."

"Thanks for helping my dad." She said as she hugged Jarrod excitedly. Jarrod smiled at the display, returning the gesture.

"You're very welcome." He told her. "Your dad's a very brave man to do what he did."

"Anyway, I for one could use a little drink after all that excitement." Jamaar told them. "Would you like to join me?"

"It would be a pleasure." Susan replied.

Back at Ocean Bluff, the restaurant was finally starting to empty. Casey helped Lily into the kitchen with the last of the dishes while Gabby started mopping the floor and Dom started wiping down tables.

"Well we made some decent takings tonight." RJ said as they loaded the dishwasher. "Thanks for the assistance Casey."

"Hey, just square us up with some pizza and we'll call it quits." He told the Wolf Master. "I'm starving!"

"Aren't you always?" Lily asked him, beginning to look out some ingredients. "I can see where Holly gets her appetite."

"Guys! Get out here!" Gabby screamed from the restaurant. They quickly dropped what they were doing and came through, finding her standing over Dom. He was sprawled across the floor, and seemed to be nursing his ribs. They prepared for action as they saw Sean and Grace standing by the door.

"It's been a long time." Sean greeted them.

"Not long enough." RJ said bitterly. "I don't know how you broke the memory charm, but we aren't going to let you hurt us again!"

"It isn't so much a case of what you'll LET us do." He responded. "You see, this time we have some friends to help us out."

As he said this, Tangaroa, Tyler, Miratrix and Lothor stepped into the restaurant.

"Lothor?" RJ asked in disbelief. "I thought you were destroyed!"

"I spent some time in a jar." He corrected the Wolf Master. "Now, I thought it might be time to get a little payback. As you can see, I didn't have too many problems finding people who have scores to settle. It seems that wearing that spandex kind of paints a bull's-eye on people."

"Michael, grab Megan and get the kids out of here." RJ warned him. "This could get ugly."

Back in Jamaica, Susan was sitting, watching the party as Jamaar came over to her, handing her a beer. He smiled as he saw Jarrod dancing with his young daughter.

"It looks like your husband has a fan." He commented.

"He has that effect on people." Susan told him. "She's a beautiful girl."

"She's my whole world." He told her. "She's the reason I run these shows."

"Jamaar, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why don't you do something bigger?" Susan asked him. "It's clear you're good enough to do so much more than this."

"It's all because of her." He told her, gesturing to Lakeisha. "When I was younger and I was just starting, I had grand dreams of leaving Jamaica, of touring the world. I started doing shows for tourists to earn money to leave here. Then one summer, I met a girl. She was amazing, we really connected. It was only a holiday romance, but that was good enough for us. Then a year later, she came back with a big surprise for me."

"Lakeisha?" Susan asked him. Jamaar nodded.

"Her family didn't approve, so she came back." He explained. "Everything changed after that."

"So you and Lakeisha's mother got together?" Susan asked him. Jamaar shook his head sadly.

"She came back because she was really sick." He told her. "She knew her family didn't approve of her, and she didn't want them to look after her, so she came back. She died a few months after she got back."

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Susan told him sympathetically.

"I'm not." He replied. "I miss her of course, but when Lakeisha came into the picture, everything changed. I started doing these shows for her. I found I was so much happier than I thought I ever could be. Jamaica's given me a lot. It's odd to think I spent so long trying to leave. Now I could never imagine leaving."

"It really is beautiful here." Susan told him. "I know how you feel. When I met Jarrod, I never thought my life would change as much as it has."

"I can see that you love each other." He told her. "It's the kind of love I wish I could have had with Lakeisha's mother."

"If anyone had told me a year ago that I'd be married I'd have thought they were insane." She chuckled. "Jarrod and I were only dating a few months before we got engaged. Even the wedding was kind of rushed, but we've never doubted that we did the right thing."

"I'm sure the two of you will be just fine." Jamaar told her. "I've seen so many couples here; I have pretty good instincts on these things. I'm sure you two will make it."

"I know we will." Susan replied. She smiled as she saw Jarrod bringing back Lakeisha, imagining beginning their own family.

"I don't know where your daughter gets her energy, but she has me beat." Jarrod told the dancer.

"She has that effect on everyone." Jamaar replied.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Jarrod asked them. Susan looked to Jamaar and smiled.

"Nothing important," she replied, settling into his arms as he held her. "It was nothing important."

Back at Ocean Bluff, the battle between the Rangers and the villains quickly spilled outside into the street. RJ barely managed to catch Lily as she was thrown roughly into him by a power blast from Lothor.

"Guys, we need to regroup." Casey instructed them as he got back to his feet.

"I think that's enough for now." Lothor told them, causing his faction to return to his side. The Jungle Fury Rangers came back together, staring at him. "Consider this a demonstration of our power. You know that we'll be back. You're all on notice, we'll be back to finish the job."

With that, he fired a blast at the ground, causing a smoke cloud to form. When the smoke cleared, they were gone.

"Is everyone alright?" RJ asked, holding Lily warmly.

"I've felt better." Dominic replied. "What was that all about? They were winning."

"I guess they just want us to sweat a little." Casey responded. "Come on guys, we should get ready. I'm sure they won't leave it at that. At least we now know what we're up against."

"I'll contact the Ninjas." RJ told them. "It looks like Lothor's leading this little circus. It's best we get all the information we can if we have to face them again."

Meanwhile, back at their headquarters, Lothor and his henchmen gathered to compare notes.

"Why did we not press the advantage?" Tangaroa asked impatiently, lodging one of his butterfly swords into the floor in anger. "We had them on the ropes!"

"We might have had the upper hand, but it wasn't the time." Miratrix told him as she sat, slowly sharpening one of her swords with a whetting stone. "Our powers were depleted."

"That is exactly why we should have finished some of them when we had a chance!" Tangaroa responded angrily.

"My power may not yet be at its limit, but I could still put you down boy!" She sneered.

"Try it!" He snarled, retrieving his weapons. Lothor fired a blast between them as they prepared to fight.

"I think we're all forgetting that this is MY plan." He told them. "When Miratrix, Tyler and I have fully regenerated our powers, there will be no stopping us, but if we'd kept fighting, there was a chance the Rangers could have rallied. We will make our final move when the time is right."

He got up, and made his way towards the door into his own private room.

"Miratrix, Tyler, it is time for us to meditate." He told them. "Sean, you and the others stay here. We'll tell you when it is time."

As they left the room, closing the door behind them, Tangaroa turned to Sean with a look of thunder on his face.

"Are you going to take being talked to like that?" He snapped.

"You forget, if it wasn't for Lothor, we wouldn't be here." Sean told him. "I may not always like or understand his methods, but he's gotten us this far."

With that, Tangaroa stormed into his own room, slamming the door shut behind him. It was now time for them to prepare for their next move. They were not at full strength when they confronted the Rangers, and they had taken them to the limit. Next time, things would be different.


	79. Evacuation

The Rangers had called all their friends in Ocean Bluff together in the apartment above JKP for their briefing following their disastrous battle with the collective villains. Flit and Michelle tended to the injuries suffered by those who had been involved.

RJ came to Lily's side, handing her another ice pack. She had taken a hard kick to the head from Sean, and her cheekbone was swelling up badly.

"You know you really should have that checked out." He told her. "You might have a concussion or…"

"RJ, I've been hit in the head before, I know what I can take." She replied as she held David closely. She was more concerned with what they were going to do now that their enemies had shown them the extent of their power. All she could think about during the battle was making sure they wouldn't get to her son. "How are your ribs?"

"I'll live." He replied. He stroked his son's head gently, before moving to the middle of the room and beginning the briefing.

"OK, we now know what we're up against." RJ began, pacing the room. "Sean and his friends have got some pretty powerful friends now. We all know what happened between Miratrix, Tyler and the Overdrive Rangers a few months ago. Now that Lothor's in the mix, it all makes a lot more sense."

"I wondered how the memory charm on them was broken." Theo interjected. "Fran and I can vouch for how effective they are. We didn't remember a thing until the Mystic Mother wanted us to."

"Lothor is indeed powerful enough to break through their memory charm." Master Finn stated. "The Ninjas told me all about the extent of his power."

"Given the descriptions of the attack on the prison, we know he used Tangaroa and Grace to release Tyler." RJ continued. "Tori told us that Sean was the one who stole the laser, and since we now know Lothor's involved, we can safely presume that he was the one that helped Sean defeat her."

"The Overdrive Rangers have all been advised. They said they'll let us know if they turn up in San Angeles. We've also spread the word through the Rangerweb. Everyone who still has powers will be on standby." RJ continued. "We hope to find them and take them down before anything serious happens. Right now though, it seems like they're going after us first."

"San Angeles and Ocean Bluff are the only cities with fully operating Ranger teams." Theo pointed out. "It makes sense they'd come after us first. If they have the power to take down fully operational teams, then the rest of the world will fall pretty quickly if they only have to face one or two Rangers at a time."

"I think it's more than that." Master Phant told them. "I think there may be a reason they're targeting Ocean Bluff in particular."

"Why?" Casey asked him. "I mean, with the power at their disposal, why didn't they just finish the job at the time?"

"There's only one reason I can think of." Dominic stated. "They couldn't."

"The last time Miratrix was freed; Dr. Hartford said they used the power from the Overdrive Trackers to power the laser." RJ said as thoughts ran through his mind, trying to make sense of it all. "Other than that, they would need a huge power source to generate the energy needed to power it, like a nuclear reactor…"

"Since we haven't heard of any nuclear power plants being attacked, we know that hasn't happened." Dominic reminded him.

"I think Lothor powered the laser himself." RJ told them as the epiphany came to him. "That's why he didn't destroy us earlier. He's still recovering his power."

"Since Miratrix gave Tyler back his powers, she was probably drained too." Theo surmised. "We should try to find them before they get their powers back to full strength."

"We won't have to wait long to find them." Master Phant told them. "They'll be looking for us. There's a reason they're in Ocean Bluff, and I think I know what it is."

"The Vault?" RJ suggested. Master Phant nodded.

"Wait a minute, what's The Vault?" Fran asked them.

"It's where the Pai Zhuq sealed all their most dangerous and powerful artifacts." Master Phant explained. "Evil spirits, weapons of great power, dangerous enemies, things that were too powerful to destroy, but also too dangerous to leave where they could be found."

"If that's what they're after, then we should be prepared for them to make a move soon." Master Finn told them. "There is a council of five, known as the Hand of Light. Only those five know the location of the vault and can open it. There were two Mystic Knights, who oversaw the protective charms that turned away the unworthy and hid it from prying eyes. A powerful Ninja Sensei that ensures the psychic energies that cloak it from the searches of mental energies. Finally, the remaining two are Pai Zhuq masters, who ensure that the fields preventing animal spirits from finding it are in place."

"Well there isn't many of any of those left." Dom commented. "Chip only became a knight a couple of months back, which leaves Leanbow and Daggeron as the Mystic Knights. Also, only Sensei Omino and Sensei Watanabe are left of the ancient Ninjas…"

"It's Sensei Watanabe." Master Phant confirmed. "I know what your next question will be. The duty of guarding The Vault was left to myself and Master Swoop. We are the Hand of Light."

"So he needs you guys to open The Vault?" Casey asked him. Master Phant shook his head.

"They only need one of us. Any one of us can allow them in." He informed them. "If they open The Vault, they will not only have access to more dark power than they could ever need, they will also be able to bring back…"

"Dai Shi!" Lily shrieked in horror, seeing where this was going. "That's what you meant when you said you'd take care of the claw!"

"That is correct." Master Phant replied. "We have to stop them."

"You said they'll come for us." RJ stated. "That's why I've talked to Dr. Hartford. His mansion's the most secure of the Ranger bases. That's why I've arranged for him to take the most vulnerable of us."

"The most vulnerable?" Camille asked him. Lily just held her son tightly, a tear beginning to run down her face as they both realized where this was going.

"We have a vulnerability the Overdrive Rangers don't." RJ conceded, putting his arm around Lily and David. He looked into her eyes as she pleaded with him wordlessly. "I don't want to be separated from him either."

"RJ, he hasn't been away from me a whole day since he was born!" She begged him. David started to become unsettled, clearly sensing that his mother becoming upset. RJ held her warmly.

"Lily, we need you here, but you know that we can't risk them getting their hands on the kids." He reminded her. "By comparison to here, Hartford's Mansion is like Fort Knox. There's nowhere safer for them to be right now."

"Megan and I are going with them." Her father told her. "You know I'll take care of them."

"We'll escort them as far as the edge of town, and then the Overdrive Rangers will take them the rest of the way." RJ told her. "I don't want to leave him either, but if he stays here, you know he'll be in danger."

Lily just looked once more into her son's eyes, before kissing him softly and handing him slowly to his Grandfather.

"I promise I'll take really good care of him." Michael assured his daughter. "Fran…"

"I'm ready." She told him, gathering her bag. "I told the school I was sick. Hopefully this'll all be over soon."

"Are you ready to go?" Dom asked Gabby.

"I was actually planning on staying." She replied. Dom looked at her, a little concerned for her well-being. "I'm not going insane. Fran felt badly about the fact she couldn't risk using her morpher to help out, so she had RJ adjust it to operate on my humming bird spirit instead of her fox."

"Gabby, these guys are dangerous." Dom reminded her. "This is way more than anything you've handled…"

"Dom, this is what you and my uncle have been training me for." She interrupted him. "I've faced Sean and his friends before."

"She held her own then." RJ reminded him. "Besides, we don't really have much in the way of a choice. We can use all the help we can get."

Dom smiled at her as he realized that he wasn't getting a choice in the matter. Gabby had made up her mind.

"I love it when you stand up for yourself." He complimented her. "It'll be great to see you take this."

"I'll see you again soon little lady." Casey promised his daughter, taking her from her somewhat reluctant mother. "Come on guys, we have to get the kids to the drop off point. The longer we wait, the more likely it is Lothor and his goons will be looking for round 2."

Meanwhile, at their headquarters, Lothor, Miratrix and Tyler were still meditating to recover their powers after their earlier battle. Miratrix looked to Lothor as they all came to, feeling their energies regenerated and stronger than before.

"It is almost time." Lothor said, glancing at Miratrix. "It will soon be time to put our plan into action."

"I suppose we should begin by going back to the pizza parlour." Tyler suggested. "By now I'm sure they'll all have gathered."

"Have patience. There are better ways than that." Lothor told him, waving him off like a simple child. "We will attack again, though only when I say. There is a time and a place for everything."

"Master Lothor, with all due respect…"

"Tyler, do not question Master Lothor!" Miratrix reprimanded her lover loudly, before turning her gaze back to Lothor with an evil smile. "He is one of the galaxy's most ingenious villains. If he says he has a plan, and then I'm sure he's given it a great deal of consideration."

"I do not doubt he has plans, but we do not want the Rangers to regroup!" Tyler replied. "I think…"

"You remind me a lot of Zhurgaine." Lothor interrupted him with a chuckle. "Thinking wasn't exactly one of his talents either. I thought Lawyers were supposed to be smart."

"Master Lothor…"

"For now, I suggest you leave the thinking to the professionals and go check on our allies." Lothor interrupted him again, waving him away dismissively. "Leave the thinking to the grownups."

He got up, his jaw clenched tightly in anger. He wanted to say something, to unleash his anger at being talked to like an infant. The thought of attacking flashed across his mind, but he knew that Lothor was more powerful than him. He looked to Miratrix, and felt his anger growing as he saw her sitting, unmoving, and showing no signs of objecting to Lothor's treatment of him. If he couldn't rely on her to back him up, there was definitely no way he would be able to defeat him.

He got up, and stormed towards the door, turning back briefly and seeing that Lothor had made no attempt to watch him leave, clearly unthreatened by the thought of an ambush. Miratrix was facing him, but was paying Tyler no mind, sitting, smiling at Lothor, gazing at him like an attentive student.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Lothor taunted him. Tyler turned and left the room, bile still burning within him. As the door slammed shut, he smirked. "Alone at last."

"You wish to share your plan with me?" She asked him.

"Of course, you are my greatest fan after all." He remarked. "Tell me, have you ever heard of The Vault?"

Miratrix looked a little puzzled by this. Everyone had heard of The Vault. It was kind of like a Holy Grail or Arc of the Covenant for Villains. Of course, like both of those, many considered it a mere myth.

"It exists?" She asked him. "Where?"

"That's just the thing, I don't know where. Only that it is nearby." He told her honestly. "When Sean and his friends fought the Rangers before, they used a piece of Dai Shi to attempt to resurrect him. I was able to sense his energy as it was taken away. I could follow it for a while, and then it simply vanished without a trace."

"You believe it is hidden." Miratrix surmised. He nodded in response with a smile.

"How clever you are my new student." He complimented her, reaching out a hand and stroking her hair. "I believe it was taken to the vault, and as such, I believe I know the identity of one of the members of the Hand of Light."

"They would die rather than give us access to The Vault." Miratrix told him. Lothor laughed.

"You can never underestimate the sentimentality of humans." He reminded her. "You see the Rangers here have a weakness, one that can be exploited."

Miratrix realized what he meant and gave him a knowing grin.

"They have children." She replied.

The Rangers were on the road out of town, escorting the van carrying their loved ones out of town. Lily was sitting in the back of the car, chewing her fingernails nervously as she looked longingly at the van up ahead.

"Lily, they'll be fine." Gabby said reassuringly, putting an arm around her.

"Do you think Dad's go everything he needs?" Lily asked her. "Do you think he packed enough diapers? What about formula...?"

"Lily, your dad knows all about raising kids. He knows what they need." Gabby reminded her. "Besides, they're going to be staying with one of the richest men in the world. Somehow I doubt they'll be left short of anything."

"What about his blanket? He can't sleep without it!" She rushed out. Gabby squeezed her a little, shushing her as she panicked.

"Lily, I'm sure your dad thought of everything." Gabby responded. "This is just till the threat is over. I'm sure Mr. Chilman would love spending time with his Grandson."

"This is the first time I'll have left him for more than a couple of hours." Lily sighed sadly.

"He'll be back home before you know it." Gabby said cheerfully. "Knowing that defeating them is the only thing keeping you from David almost makes me feel sorry for them."

"RJ, why are we stopping?" Lily asked nervously as she realized they were slowing down. "RJ?"

"There's been some kind of accident up ahead." He told her as they came to a stop. "We're probably going to get detoured around."

At that point, a number of civilians ran screaming from the direction of the scene of destruction up ahead. Burning hulks of cars were strewn across the road ahead, blocking the way. It was when the firemen started fleeing in terror that they realized something was seriously wrong. Lothor stepped through the smoke and the heat haze with Miratrix.

"OK, this is not good!" RJ called out as he threw the car into reverse, pulling a reverse 180. It was then that he saw Tyler, Sean, Tangaroa and Grace arrived behind them, blocking their path.

"I see you've decided to run." Lothor taunted them. "I can't say that I blame you."

"Dad, take care of the kids!" Lily yelled as everyone else disembarked, preparing a perimeter. She faced off against Lothor and Miratrix with Casey, Theo and Gabby. The Masters and Dom took the other side, preparing to battle the others. RJ came to his wife's side.

"I guess we start this a little earlier than we anticipated." Casey told Lothor. "The Overdrive Rangers will be here any second. This is your last chance to back down."

"Now that's a little naive." Lothor responded as Kalzaks appeared, surrounding them. "Attack!"

The Rangers all powered up, throwing themselves into the battle, fighting furiously against their numerous opponents. Dom fired off a Rhino Stampede, destroying dozens of the henchmen.

"Those guys are just as easy to beat as the Rinshi!" He commented. "Why do bad guys always rely so much on their henchmen?"

"Let's see how easy you find me to take down!" Tangaroa yelled, launching into an attack powered by his Zukado power.

"I still owe you for what you did to Gabby." He replied, powering up his Rhino Blade.

The battle continued for a few more minutes, before Lily was dashed to the ground by Miratrix. She flipped skillfully over Gabby's head, before approaching the van.

Gabby rushed her with a savage scream, but Miratrix took her down, de-morphing her with her swords. She continued on towards her objective, at which Michael came out of the van. He launched into an attack with his Mandrill spirit, but Miratrix was simply too powerful for him, quickly dispatching him. She reached into the van, tearing David out of his baby seat, before turning back to the scene of the battle and whistled.

"David!" Lily screamed, turning on her. She took a couple of steps forward, but quickly stopped when Miratrix held the point of a dagger over the screaming child.

"Everyone stop right now if you want this little one to see his first Birthday." She warned them. "Which one of you is Master Phant?"

Master Phant de-morphed, revealing himself. Miratrix smiled and flicked her head in Lothor's direction.

"You're coming with us if you value this baby's life." She told him. Master Phant didn't need to be warned though. Since meeting Lily, she had become an important part of his life. He saw himself largely in the role of a grandfather to her because she reminded him so much of Gabby. Although he was not a blood relation, he considered David to be one of his own, and fawned over him almost as much as Master Finn and Michael. As he stepped forwards, preparing to surrender himself, the Overdrive Rangers arrived, creating a distraction. RJ let out a savage yell, launching himself forward and grabbing Lothor by the throat, slamming him into the side of a van. Power flared from his Wolf Morpher menacingly.

"Release my son NOW!" He warned them. "I know you're powerful, but I'm pretty sure if I fire this thing full blast at this range it'll take your head clean off! I doubt even you'd survive that."

"We both know you won't do that." Lothor laughed in response. "You'll never risk your son's life."

RJ thought about his position. Looking around, he could see Miratrix still holding his son. He powered down his Wolf Morpher and released him.

"Turn in your morphers." He instructed them as a chest appeared. "We don't want any of you getting any fancy ideas."

Handing the chest to Sean, he went around the Rangers. Reluctantly, they all powered down and placed their morphers in the chest, one-by-one.

"Your San Angeles friends too!" He added. The Overdrive Rangers could see the terror in Lily's eyes and relented, turning over their morphers too. "Master Phant is going to take us on a little trip. I think it will be good for this little one to get some fresh air. We'll take him along too."

"We've done as you asked, give me back my son!" Lily screamed as tears began to run down her face. The child continued screaming in the arms of his captor, calling for his parents to remove him from this stranger's arms. "Give him back!"

Tangaroa, Grace and Sean all exchanged an uneasy glance as they heard this going on. They had known that the plan involved kidnapping Master Phant; Lothor had said nothing about taking one of the children.

"I don't think so." He replied.

"He's terrified, please…" She looked to RJ regretfully. They knew they couldn't leave their son in his hands. She hung her head as she continued. "Let me go too."

"Another hostage would slow us down." Tyler reminded him.

"There you go thinking again." Lothor teased him, eliciting a small giggle from Miratrix. A bottle appeared in his hand, which he uncorked, sucking Lily inside. He then did the same to David, before corking it and hooking it to his belt. "I'll not bother telling you what'll happen if you follow us. Come with me old man. It's time you unlocked a certain little piggy bank."

"Lothor!" RJ called out, causing him to look around at him as they started to leave. "If anything happens to them, I don't care what happens to me. There isn't a force on earth that will stop me from destroying you."

Lothor just sneered and left. Master Finn and Michael came to his side, comforting him.

"You can't blame yourself RJ." Master Finn assured him. "Either of us would have done the same thing."

"I know, but that doesn't help us right now." RJ replied. He made his way over to Swoop. "You said you can also open the Vault and you know where it is."

"That's true." Swoop replied. "I can take us there."

"Thanks Swoop, I just need to make a couple of calls first." He told the Bat Master, pulling out his cell phone. "They might have our morphers, but that doesn't mean we're out of options. We're not the only ones with powers."


	80. The Vault

The large contingent of Rangers made their way back to JKP silently as they considered what had just happened. Lothor had pre-empted RJ's plan to get the kids and the vulnerable members of the team out of the city, and as a result, he had put them in jeopardy.

As he got back into the loft, Mack came up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"RJ, we're going to get them back." He said as reassuringly as he could under the circumstances. Things weren't looking good for them right now. Not only had Lothor taken Master Phant hostage, but he also had Lily and David hostage. RJ knew that Master Phant would never put their lives in danger, which meant that he would do whatever Lothor asked of him, even if that meant opening The Vault.

He turned back to the young Red Ranger and nodded as he accepted the reassurance. It wasn't much really, but it was all they could offer. They had been forced to turn over their morphers, which meant that they were now in the situation of having to face Lothor and his goons without their powers.

"So what do we do now?" Casey asked as they sat in the apartment. The others all looked around at him, uncertain themselves. He had been the first to ask the question that they had all been asking themselves.

"We need to get to The Vault before them." He told them. "We can't let them open it."

"We have some allies coming into town." Dr. Hartford reminded them. "Until they arrive, we have to do the best that we can."

Meanwhile, outside of town, Lothor and his party were marching through the woods, in search of the ancient site. Lothor held up a hand to stop them.

"We'll rest up here for a little while." He told them. "Tyler, make sure our guest is made comfortable. Sean, you and your friends do a sweep of the area. Make sure we aren't disturbed."

Master Phant's gaze wouldn't stray from the bottle attached to Lothor's belt. He knew that Lily and David were being held inside. As much as he wanted to do something, he knew that making any moves prematurely would only put them in danger. He was willing to sacrifice himself to allow them to escape, but he knew that they were powerful enough that he would need to clear a significant window if they were to escape. Tyler put a hand on his shoulder and shoved him roughly to the ground.

"What are you looking at old man?" Tyler asked him aggressively. Master Phant just laughed.

"You know, if it was a straight fight, this 'old man' might just teach you a thing or two." Master Phant replied. "Then again, I guess not. After all, one needs to be able to think for oneself in order to learn."

Tyler grabbed his tunic and dragged the old master to a tree and shoved him back against it.

"Shut it old timer." He hissed under his breath, glaring at him. Master Phant just laughed again.

"You know, I was under the impression that you and Miratrix were an item." He said as he shook his head gently. "I thought lawyers were meant to be smart."

Tyler kicked him hard in the gut, his frustration boiling over. Lothor had been taunting him, questioning his intelligence since he had got there.

"I was more than smart enough to take you and your friends!" Tyler told him.

"Really, because from where I'm sitting it looks like Lothor's running things." Master Phant wheezed as he fought for breath. "Your girlfriend seems to think so."

"You will not speak of my love!" Tyler yelled, grabbing his hair and yanking his head back aggressively. "You are not fit to speak of her."

"Tyler! Join the others on patrol!" Lothor called out, seeing the former lawyer holding the master. "We'll take care of things here."

"Sir, perhaps I should stay and keep an eye on him." Tyler replied, turning to face him, seeing Miratrix standing by his side. His chest felt heavy, and he could feel his muscles tighten as he saw her next to him. He knew that she had an admiration for Lothor, though he had to admit that he was growing impatient with the fact she always seemed to side with him. Lothor constantly belittled him in front of her, and far from being supportive, she seemed to almost enjoy his humiliation and hung on Lothor's every word. "He could..."

"What have I told you about thinking?" Lothor interrupted him, raising a laugh from Miratrix. "He knows what'll happen if he tries to escape."

He patted the bottle on his belt gently. Master Phant just nodded in understanding.

"Now, be a good little hound and go check for intruders." Lothor told him. Tyler stormed off, muttering under his breath as he went. Miratrix turned to face Lothor.

"We are getting close." She told him, smiling as she thought of the power that was so close she could taste it. "I can feel the energy."

"I can too." Lothor replied. "Our guest there will soon take us to our objective."

"I'm sure our enemies will probably be trying to form some kind of attack." She responded. "Perhaps we should give them something else to think about."

"I was just thinking the same thing." He replied, reaching out his hand and stroking her cheek with his hand. "I can channel the extra energy from this area and send them the kind of distraction they'll never be able to ignore."

Back at the restaurant, the Rangers were preparing to leave when the surveillance system bleeped, alerting them to an attack in the city.

"Kalzaks." Mack stated, looking at the monitors. "There must be hundreds of them."

"It looks like Lothor's trying to slow us down." RJ commented. "We can't let them hurt anyone."

"We need to deal with this." Casey stated. "RJ, you and Swoop go after Lothor. We'll deal with this."

Out in the woods, Sean and the others returned to the clearing, finding Miratrix and Lothor still discussing their plan. They stopped talking immediately and turned back to their allies.

"The coast is clear." Sean told him. "No one's following us."

"Well that's good to hear." He replied. "Get the Elephant Master. It's time we were on our way."

Sean grabbed Master Phant by the arm and yanked him to his feet. The Elephant Master didn't even try to resist, seeing the bottle attached to Lothor's belt. He couldn't risk anything while Lily and David were still in danger.

"Come, it's almost time to put our plan into action." Lothor announced as they started making their way through the woods.

"You can't do this." Master Phant whispered to Sean as they started on the final leg of their journey. "You're a Pai Zhuq. You're meant to protect the world. Don't let your grudge against the others blind you to Lothor's evil."

"Just worry about yourself Master Phant." Sean told him as Tangaroa shoved him onwards. "We'll be just fine. Once Lothor's plan comes to fruition..."

"Do you even know his plan?" Master Phant asked him. Sean and his friends paused for a second as he said this. They knew that Lothor wanted something from The Vault, but that was as much as he had told them. They had no idea what he wanted, much less why. "You can't trust him."

Tyler overheard this, but gave no indication that he had. He didn't trust Lothor either. Looking up ahead, he saw Lothor walking with Miratrix, quietly discussing something with her. It frustrated him that Lothor had taken his love so closely into his favour, though it was even more frustrating that she was cutting him out. Like the others, Lothor hadn't seen fit to tell Tyler what his plan was. Miratrix knew, though she hadn't told her lover either. His anger burned in him as he watched them whispering with each other. He was eager to get to The Vault and help unlock it. Once he did so, he could take the power for himself and rid himself of Lothor once and for all. Then he would have Miratrix all to himself.

Meanwhile in Ocean Bluff, Casey and the others were busy battling the endless hordes of foot soldiers, allowing the terrified citizens to escape. Gabby was thrown to the ground, rolling to a stop a little way from Dom as their numbers began to tell on them. Without their morphers, they were overmatched.

"There are too many of them!" Theo called out as he was kicked into a wall. "We can't keep this up forever."

"You don't need to!" A familiar voice told him as Kalzaks flew in all directions. Turning, all of the Rangers smiled as they saw salvation arriving in the form of the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger. "We'll take it from here!"

Vines erupted from the ground, crushing more of the evil warriors into oblivion. Xander came over to Theo's side and helped him to his feet.

"We got here as quickly as we could." He told them. "It took a little while to get here."

"It's just as well Dr. Hartford still had the SHARC." Kira stated as she swooped down from above, destroying more of them. "We needed to get the whole team together again."

"I just wish we could use the SHARC all the time." Adam chipped in as he took down more of them with his Power Axe. "The trip from Vegas took no time!"

"Well you arrived in good time." Casey responded. "We were getting pretty badly chewed up."

Just then, the team was completed as a fifth Ranger arrived. She was wearing a red uniform with a large, black number one across the chest. She pulled out a pair of blasters, taking down the last of the Kalzaks in a hail of fire. She put her blasters away as she turned to them.

"I never knew there was a female Red Ranger." Casey stated. As the five powered up Rangers came together, the Overdrive and Jungle Fury teams came together before them.

"Right, I know who the other four are." Will said as he came over to the new arrival. "So who are you?"

"Well I figured we could use someone to fill Bridge's spot, and Tommy needed to stay behind to look after the twins." Kira explained as they all powered down. "So I made a call to New Tech. Guys, I'd like you all to meet Charisma."

She was about the same height as Kira, with long, brunette hair tied back into a ponytail. She was wearing combat trousers and boots with a red T-shirt, bearing the letters SPD. She had dark brown eyes, and her skin was a little pale. The most striking thing about her was an intricate sleeve tattoo running the entire length of her left arm, depicting a Chinese style dragon, snaking its way around her arm, interspersed with pink lilies. A band of Chinese letters ran around the circumference of her wrist. On the back of her left hand, she had drawn a large black X with a thick, black marker pen.

"So you're the latest Red guy." Charisma said as she reached forward, shaking his hand.

"RJ and Swoop are on Lothor's tail right now." Casey told them. "We need to catch up to them."

"Kat let me borrow one of the VTOLs and a scanner; I left it a couple of blocks away." Charisma stated. "Come on, we'll find them from the air."

With that, they all followed her to her craft. Things were beginning to look up for the Rangers, but they knew that it was far from over. They still needed to find Lothor and stop him.

At that point, Lothor and his accomplices arrived in a clearing far from the city. Lothor gestured the Elephant Master over.

"This is the place, I can feel it." He told him. "Break the charms and let us in."

"You don't know what you're doing!" He protested. "The energies inside are..."

Lothor took the bottle from his belt and tapped it gently, reminding him of his hostages.

"It would be a shame if something happened to them now." He sneered. "Open the door guardian."

Reluctantly, Master Phant stepped forward. As he did so, the air shimmered and shifted in colour and shape. The ninja warrior got a wicked grin on his face as the clearing turned into an ancient stone temple. Stone stairs rose up from the ground, leading to a courtyard. Along each side of the courtyard, many statues of ancient warriors stood as though guarding it. Some carried the insignia of the Wind Ninja academy; some carried the symbol of the Order of the Claw, while others were clearly Mystic Knights.

"I don't like this place." Tangaroa said in a slightly uneasy tone. "I have a really bad feeling."

"Grow a backbone you snivelling coward." Lothor snapped in disgust at the huge warrior. He pulled the cork out of the bottle, and mist escaped. It took shape, and Lily appeared, holding David protectively in her arms. Lothor held up a hand, and chains erupted from the stone floor, snapping shut around her wrists, holding her in place.

"Mommy's going nowhere until you unlock that Vault." Lothor told Master Phant as he flicked a thumb in the direction of the temple. "Come with me. Sean, Miratrix, you come too. The rest of you stay here and keep her company. If anything happens, kill them both."

As Lothor went with an unwilling Master Phant, Miratrix followed him. Sean looked uneasy and gave the others a slightly uncomfortable look. Grace and Tangaroa returned the sentiment. As much as they had wanted to face the Rangers again to gain vengeance for their earlier humiliating defeat, they had never considered the thought of killing a defenceless child. Sean made his way slowly into the temple with the others. Grace and Tangaroa watched as Lily sat cross-legged on the ground, gently bobbing David up and down in an effort to soothe him. Tyler drew his sword and looked around in alarm.

"What is it?" Grace asked him. "You're getting a little jumpy."

"I told you, I don't like this place." Tangaroa said as he drew his butterfly swords. "I'm sure we're being watched."

"The two of you are just paranoid." Grace snorted. "We're alone for miles around..."

Her words tailed off as she also started to feel a sense of panic. Lily backed as far away as her restraints would allow, sheltering as much as she could in a corner by the temple.

"Guys, did that statue just move?" Grace asked them. As if in answer, one of the Knights drew his sword.

The other Rangers flew overhead, finally finding RJ and Swoop a little way from the temple. Charisma looked around for a place to land, bringing the craft down beside them.

"They're already at The Vault." Swoop informed them. "It's just a little way ahead."

"We're on it." Kira responded. "We'll get the morphers back."

"We'll come too." Swoop told her. "We might not have our morphers, but there's more than just them to worry about."

"What's that meant to mean?" Mack asked him.

"There are many enchantments designed to stop intruders from getting into The Vault." He told him. "We'll need all the help we can get."

They rushed into the temple grounds, finding Tangaroa, Grace and Tyler ferociously battling against the living statues. RJ looked around in a panic for his wife and son.

"RJ!" Lily screamed as she saw him. She was shielding David from flying debris as she sat in the corner, hoping to avoid the guardians of The Vault. One of the statues saw her and started to approach her.

"Lily!" He yelled as he rushed forward, powering up his wolf spirit. He cast it forward, shattering the statue, before coming to her side. He checked over them both quickly, before holding her tightly.

"RJ, Lothor's gone into The Vault." She told him. "We need to stop him."

"We'll deal with these guys." Casey called out to Tori. "You go and stop them."

"No problems." Tori answered. "I have a little score to settle with them."

With that, the replacement Rangers headed down into the temple to find Lothor and his cronies. Tangaroa flew to the ground following a hard attack.

"Lothor said nothing about these guys!" Tyler yelled as he fended off an attack with his sword.

Grace was thrown through the air and landed hard on the ground. She looked around at the desperate situation. They needed to do something to even the odds; otherwise the guardians would surely destroy them.

Meanwhile, down in the depths of The Vault, Lothor arrived with Master Phant and his two henchmen. Before them was a massive stone wall, carved with the scene of an epic battle. Just like the statues outside, there were representatives of the Mystics, Pai Zhuq and the Ninja Academies. Right in the centre of it was a hand print.

"Open it." Lothor instructed him. Reluctantly, the old master placed his hand on the print. The wall shifted, sinking into the floor and exposing the vault. Miratrix looked on in awe as she saw the treasures and forbidden artefacts gathered over millennia stretched before them. Evil spirits captured in jars, powerful dark magic artefacts and other items gave off an evil vibe that chilled even the strongest of hearts. Sean shifted a little uneasily as Lothor stepped inside.

"Master Lothor, I have a really bad feeling about this." Sean told him as he backed away a little. Lothor found a chest, opening it and pulled out the claw that Sean had tried to use before to raise Dai Shi.

"This is what we're looking for." Lothor informed him. "Once we raise Dai Shi and destroy the fools upstairs, we'll have more than enough power with all this to destroy every Ranger there's ever been. Then, when the dust settles, we can divide up the world as we see fit."

"The world?" Sean asked him. "I thought you only wanted revenge on the Rangers who defeated you."

"That's just a bonus." Lothor corrected him. "By now the Guardians should be making quick work of the Powerless Rangers and your friends."

"Guardians?" Sean asked him. "What guardians?"

"You didn't think those statues were mere decoration did you?" Lothor asked in a chuckle.

"They'll destroy my friends!" Sean yelled. "You set us up! I have to help them!"

"Right now you have a more important function to perform." Lothor stated. With that, Miratrix grabbed him in a surprisingly strong grip and held him in place. Lothor approached him, holding up the claw. Sean felt his heart racing as he realised what Lothor was planning. "Dai Shi still needs a vessel."

Sean screamed as Lothor rammed the claw into his chest. He could feel Dai Shi's presence coursing through him, taking over his mind and his heart. Just then, the Rangers arrived. Charisma looked at the collection of villains and smirked.

"The good old double-cross. You should have seen that one coming Sean." She stated as Kira, Tori, Adam and Xander all took their place beside her.

"I've met you four." Miratrix commented, pointing to the four Returning Rangers. "But you're new."

"I was the Red Soulfire Ranger." Charisma told her. "Now I'm the Red SPD Ranger."

"SPD?" Lothor asked, remembering encountering them before in his journeys through the galaxy. "Earth doesn't have an SPD branch yet."

"That's what the public thinks." Charisma replied, pulling out her morpher. "Who wants to call it?"

"Well you were a leader before." Kira reminded her.

"You are the Red Ranger." Adam added. "It's kind of a tradition."

"I guess it's my show then." She said with a smile. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready." They called back.

"It's morphing time."

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, HA!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up, HA!"

"SPD, Emergency!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

With that, the Rangers all stood before them in their uniforms, ready for battle. Dai Shi got to his feet and laughed.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" He asked them.

"That's what we're here for." Charisma replied as Master Phant got back to his feet. "Find the other's Morphers and return them Master Phant, we'll take care of things down here."

**A/N:** Anyone unfamiliar with Charisma, she's an O/C I created for my own Ranger team, the Soulfire Rangers (introduced in the story of the same name). She and her friends are currently helping set up SPD in secret, and are the first SPD earth team. I hope that clears up who she is.


	81. The Battle of Ocean Bluff Pt 1

Master Phant rushed through the catacombs of the vault in his desperate attempt to get back to the others. He knew that the others would be facing off against the guardians of the temple. They were strong enough when it was a simple trespasser, however, the number of people in the temple would seem like nothing short of an invasion. Now that the vault had been breached, he knew that the temple would be throwing everything it had at any living thing within its grounds.

As he neared the door, he stumbled as he searched through some debris. He remembered Lothor had brought the box containing the Ranger's morphers into the tunnel with him, only to deposit it somewhere near the door. He cursed slightly his advancing age as his eyesight proved to be having trouble in the low light of the tunnels. Eventually, he found the box, though was unable to move it. It was too heavy for him.

Hearing a scream from outside, he knew that the others would not have long, and with Lily and RJ having the distraction of trying to protect David into the bargain, they would not have long before the temple's guardians would overmatch them.

Taking the next obvious course of action, he picked up a rock and began smashing it into the lock. If he couldn't move the box by himself, then perhaps his morpher would lend him the extra power he needed.

Outside, Grace was thrown roughly against a wall as the guardians maintained the upper hand. She looked up as one of the warriors came over towards her, carrying a large stone mace. She tried to shield herself from its destructive path in a futile gesture. She was surprised as the fatal strike never came. She looked up to see Mack had caught the downward blow with his inhuman strength.

"You know this guy is a lot stronger than me!" Mack grunted as she looked at her saviour in shock. Realising that he needed her help, she cast forth her bobcat spirit, taking out the statue's legs and causing it to fall. Mack used his strength to bring its own mace down on top of it, shattering it completely.

"You saved me!" She gasped as she came to his side.

"I can't stand back and watch anyone being destroyed like that." He assured her. He looked up, seeing a number of new statues coming into view. "Right now we need all the help we can get."

Meanwhile, down at the vault, Dai Shi, Lothor and Miratrix were battling with the assembled Rangers. Kira and Tori drew their swords, confronting Lothor.

"You girls don't seem to know when to give up." He sneered, bringing forth a pair of sabres himself. "I would have thought that beating I gave you in Blue Bay would have convinced you to retire."

"It's not going to happen Lothor!" Tori snapped in response. "Remember I've already defeated you twice."

"Of course you were always too weak to finish the job." Lothor replied, parrying strikes from both of his former enemies. "It is a mistake I will not make."

"Everyone should have a dream Lothor!" Kira roared as she caught him with a slash. Tori took advantage of the distraction and attacked too, sending him flying into the vault. "You were never a match for the Rangers."

"Lothor!" Miratrix shrieked as she watched her master being assaulted. Xander and Adam quickly took advantage of the situation, both striking her with their axes.

"They can keep their swords." Xander chirped as he watched Miratrix writhing in pain on the floor. "Axes are the only weapons to fight with right Adam?"

"You said it." Adam agreed, high-fiving him. At that point though, Charisma came to rest a little way from them. She looked up at Sean as he paced back and forth before her.

"You think you have what it takes to defeat me?" He taunted her. "Even in this body I have more than enough power to crush you like a bug."

"You know, I've met more than one bad guy who thought he could take me down." She spat back, drawing her Delta Blasters. "But I always won through in the end!"

She launched a hail of blasts at him as she leapt through the air. Sean changed form into Dai Shi's Griffon Warrior mode, and blocked them with his hands. Swinging wildly, he sent forth a wave of Rinzin power that blasted her high into the ceiling, punching her straight through it.

"That had to hurt." Adam commented with a shiver.

"Charisma's tough, we both know that." Kira reminded him. "We need to take this outside, there's no room to move down here."

An energy blast sent all four of the remaining Rangers from their feet. They looked up, realising that Lothor and Miratrix had recovered, and were advancing on them.

"Something tells me getting them to follow us won't be a problem." Tori commented. "Think it's time for a tactical withdrawal?"

"You mean run away?" Xander asked, nodding his head. "I can go with that plan. Let's get outside!"

Master Phant continued to mash away at the lock of the box with the rock, before stopping as he felt his strength failing. He inspected it sadly as he saw that he had barely scratched it. It was then that a figure dressed in red came smashing through the floor and landed next to him.

"Charisma?" He asked as she groaned loudly. "Are you alright?"

"Just finding out why you guys are so worried about Dai Shi." She replied as she pulled herself into a seated position, holding her head.

"I can't move the box, or open it." He told her. "The others need the morphers."

Charisma combined her blasters before levelling it at the chest. Phant retreated to a safe distance before she fired, blowing the lock off the chest. He rushed forward, searching through until he found his own morpher.

"I never thought I'd be so glad to see this again." He said with a smile as he activated it, once again becoming the Elephant Ranger. He closed the chest, before lifting it from the floor, thankful for his augmented strength. "I'll get these to the others."

Just then, Tori and Kira ran down the hall, turning back to provide some covering fire.

"This is no time for a nap Charisma." Kira told her, helping her to her feet as Xander and Adam made their way down the hall. "We're bringing this thing into the open."

"Well it sure beats getting my butt kicked in the dark." She responded, joining them in their flight. "Come on, I have a feeling we're going to need the others."

Meanwhile, outside the battle was becoming increasingly desperate. RJ was busy helping Lily to defend their son as a couple of guardians were bearing down on them. RJ was dashed aside by one of the statues, stunning him. Lily cradled David closely as they prepared to strike. It was then that they were saved as Tangaroa carved them down with his weapons, using his zukado to augment his strength enough to destroy them.

"They should not target the child." He told Lily, breaking her bonds with another strike. He offered her a hand to help her to her feet. "It isn't right."

"Thank you." She murmured, smiling at her unlikely saviour. It was then that they saw the familiar form of the Elephant Ranger coming out of the temple, carrying the chest.

"They opened the vault!" He called out as he reached into the chest. The Rangers started to make their way towards him, forming a perimeter as they all took turns retrieving their morphers. "They're coming back up!"

"Well at least now we aren't outgunned." Ronny said happily as she got her morpher back.

"Is everyone ready?" Mack asked.

"Ready!" They all called back, confronting their foes.

As they morphed, the other Rangers came out of the temple, stumbling over towards them as they found themselves back in the courtyard. Charisma smiled as she saw the reinforcements once more fully powered.

"Ok guys, the temple's guardians can't tell friend from foe now the vault's open. They'll just destroy anything living inside the grounds." Master Phant told them. "We have to face everything it has."

Just then, the entrance to the temple was blown apart by a massive explosion. Dai Shi, Lothor and Miratrix stood there, surveying the grounds dismissively.

"Where's Sean?" Tangaroa asked in his panic as he felt the energy coming from them. Dai Shi laughed and recalled the helmet of his Phoenix Armour, revealing the identity of his vessel.

"Sean is dead." Dai Shi sneered as he watched the pain on the faces of Sean's closest friends. "You wanted to bring me back once before. Now you've succeeded."

"We never wanted this!" Grace shrieked, turning to the Rangers. "Sean!"

"We managed to get Jarrod back, he isn't gone yet." Casey assured her.

"Things are a little crowded here for my liking." Lothor stated, linking hands with his two comrades. They let out a huge blast that destroyed all the remaining temple guardians and sent the Rangers to the floor.

"Well that solves one problem at least." RJ grumbled. "Lily..."

"He's fine." She assured him, pre-empting him asking after the condition of his son. He was understandably distraught and screaming loudly, but he was, as yet, unharmed.

"I think we've been here long enough." Lothor stated. "It's time we were making tracks. There's so much to destroy, and I for one am looking forward to trying out the energy I've taken from this place."

"Talking about energy, there's just one thing I need to do first." Miratrix told him. She reached out a hand towards Tyler, drawing him towards her with an irresistible pull. He screamed in pain as all the power she had gifted him was ripped from him, returning to its mistress. She laughed as she shoved him backwards down the stairs. Tyler could only look up at the woman he was devoted to as she laughed at him.

"Sorry, but I need all the power I can get." She teased him as she put an arm around Lothor. "I'm trading up; my days of dragging losers around on my coat tails are over. Goodbye."

With that, the three evil warriors disappeared, leaving the Rangers behind. Tangaroa and Grace turned back to them, tears running down their faces.

"Let us help you." Grace begged them. "We were wrong, we know we were, and now it could cost us one of our best friends."

"You can forget it." Charisma told them as she de-morphed. "After what you've done, all three of you, you're going to prison, and trust me, the prison I can send you too, no one escapes from. Amnesty International doesn't even know it exists!"

"We aren't trying to get out of this; we will accept any punishment coming to us. We know we deserve it." Tangaroa assured her. "But we owe it to Sean to try and help him. Please, we can help."

Charisma looked a little unconvinced, but relented on the point.

"We could use the help." She replied. "We know how powerful the two of you are, but when this is finished..."

"We'll turn ourselves over to you, you have our word." Tangaroa assured her. She turned her attention to Tyler.

"So what about you?" She asked him. "You're powerless..."

"I know I can't fight for you." He told her, reaching inside his shirt. He pulled out the crystal necklace, handing it to her. "This can be used to trap her. It worked before."

As she took it, he turned and tried to flee, but Charisma was too quick. She pulled out a stun blaster, scoring a hit to his head, knocking him out. She made her way over to him and handcuffed him.

"Well that's one less thing to worry about." She sighed.

"The others are still on the loose." RJ reminded her. "With that kind of power at their disposal, we have to bring them down soon."

"Let's take it one step at a time." Charisma replied. "It'll be a little cosy, but I think the craft should fit all of us."

"Well all we can do now is head back and wait for them to make their move." RJ stated. "Something tells me we won't be waiting too long."

"Well the odds are definitely a lot better than they were." Charisma commented as they headed towards the VTOL. "21 to 3 sounds a lot better than 5 to 6."

Dai Shi and his two allies appeared on a rooftop, high above the streets of Ocean Bluff. He made his way to the edge of the roof, looking over and sneering as he watched the people blissfully making their way through their lives.

"My power is returning, though not as quickly as I would like." He told them.

"It is a shame the Rangers got their powers back." Lothor said as he came to the side of his latest ally.

"I think not. It means nothing to destroy a powerless foe." Dai Shi replied with a smirk as he looked at his hands, sparking his ancient rinzin power. "Destroying them at the height of their power will make our victory so much sweeter."

"You tried that before." Lothor reminded him. "Look where that got you."

"I am no snivelling coward of a ninja." Dai Shi snarled in response. "We should start with this city. We will gather the fear of these insects."

"My mask must be on a little too tight, but I thought I heard you giving an order." Lothor laughed as he placed a hand on Dai Shi's shoulder. "Remember who you have to thank, not only from releasing you from the vault, but for gifting you this new body of yours."

"Don't think I'm not grateful." Dai Shi replied, sweeping his hand off and shoving him backwards. Lothor looked at him in shock. "Consider not destroying you for your insolence as us being even."

"You do not have the power to destroy me yet." Lothor responded.

"Would you risk finding out?" Dai Shi answered, raising an eyebrow. "I think not. You're not that keen on even fights."

With that, Dai Shi turned back to the city and raised as many rinshi as he could, sending them on a rampage through the city.

"Kalzaks!" He barked. Lothor's face twisted into a scowl, but he complied with the request and bolstered their ranks with his own warriors. As much as he hated letting Dai Shi call the shots on this one, but he had to admit, gathering fear to bolster their power was a good idea. Besides, he always enjoyed watching frightened humans run for their lives.

As they flew towards the city, Gabby came over to the cockpit where Charisma was busy monitoring the radio and flying the craft. Charisma seemed to be deep in conversation with someone.

"Are you sure you can't come out here?" She asked in a weak voice. This was the first time she could remember Charisma being anything other than assertive, bordering on confrontational.

"You know how Doggy is about keeping things under wraps." The voice on the other end told her in a thick Scottish accent. "He insists that he can't risk exposing SPD just yet."

"I just really wish we could get some more backup." She replied.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" He asked her. Charisma smiled a little.

"You know it isn't Colin." She replied sadly. "I really wish you were here."

"You can't say it can you?" He asked her in a teasing manner.

"I miss you." She told him. "I just want to get back as soon as I can."

"I love you." He answered. Charisma let out a small sigh as she heard him say this.

"I love you too." She replied, before killing the link. As she slumped back into the seat, engaging the autopilot, she realised Gabby was there.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening, honest." She rushed out. "Kira asked me to see if everything was alright up here."

"It's fine." Charisma replied, looking over at the younger woman. She saw her engagement ring and stared at it a little curiously. "You're engaged?"

"Dom asked me to marry him at the prom." She told her with a grin. "I really love him."

"Dom? The Rhino Ranger?" Charisma asked her. "Isn't he older than you?"

"He is, but that doesn't really matter to us." Gabby replied. "We know how we feel about each other. We want to be with each other."

"Aren't you a little young to be thinking about stuff like that?" Charisma asked again. Gabby frowned at her.

"We're not rushing into things." She said, a little annoyed by the grilling. "I'm sure you love your boyfriend."

Charisma looked at her a little oddly, but remembered Gabby had overheard her conversation.

"His name's Colin. He was the Blue Soulfire Ranger, now he's our Blue SPD Ranger." She began. "We met in High School during our Ranger days."

"A Scottish Power Ranger?" Gabby asked her. "I never thought I'd see that happen."

"Well he was the first." Charisma replied. "He was really strange, but he just as headstrong as I was. He used to bug the crap out of me, and we fought all the time, but over time I came to respect him. We won each other over. We got together just before graduation."

"You've been together a while, haven't you?" Gabby asked her.

"It must be close to five years now." Charisma replied with a shrug. "I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"Have the two of you ever considered getting married?" Gabby asked her. Charisma didn't answer. She pretended to look at some instruments.

"I'm not sure it's necessary." She commented. "Our friends Dippy and Scott got married a year ago; it seemed like a lot of fuss over nothing."

Gabby wasn't convinced. She could sense that Charisma was upset about something, she just couldn't put her finger on what, but her mood seemed to change shortly after the subject had turned to marriage. As she was about to question her further, an alert sounded on the screen.

"Guys, we can forget heading to the hideout." Charisma called out. "It looks like our friends have decided to have a little party in your back yard."


	82. The Battle of Ocean Bluff Pt2

Ocean Bluff had descended into a blind panic as the forces of evil tore the place apart. The police and the military were doing what they could to hold back Kalzaks and Rinshi, while they organised the panicking citizens into a safe evacuation, though they were finding themselves being overmatched, and the evacuation was becoming increasingly dangerous and disorganised as fear caused the citizens to lose focus.

Charisma activated the autopilot to keep the VTOL in a hover over the city. The other Rangers looked down at the carnage below. Flames were claiming large sections of the city, and it was clear the citizens were giving in to fear. Almost all the roads out of town had been backed up and blocked by accidents, and the citizens had taken to running on foot in their desperation to escape.

"The whole city's going up." RJ stated as he looked out of the open hatch. "We have to stop this, people are getting hurt."

"The craft will hold here, we need to get down there." Charisma told them. "Lily, David will be safe here. We're going to need every pair of hands we can get."

Just then, Lothor cackled as he grew to massive size, beginning to rampage through the city.

"Does anyone have any Zords?" She asked, looking around the ship. "SPD has some, but they're still in their prototype stage. It'd take hours for them to get here."

"We don't have that long." Xander replied. "I can still form the Mystic Minotaur."

"Our animal spirits form our Zords." RJ told her. "We can call them up."

"It's been a while, but I still have the Rhino Steel Zord." Dom told her.

"Since we have the most Zords, we'll take care of Lothor." Casey stated. "Xander, be ready to back us up in case things get ugly."

"Will do." He responded as the Jungle Fury team all prepared themselves.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" They called out. The ten Jungle Fury Rangers assembled near the door.

"Time to go guys, it's Zord time!"

With that, they leapt from the craft one by one, forming their Zords as they went. Gabby hung back a little nervously.

"I've never formed a Zord before." She said with a hint of fear in her voice. "My uncle never taught me how I..."

"Its fine Gabby, they'll understand." Charisma told her reassuringly. "You can still help us."

"Miratrix is having fun in the theatre district." Mack informed her, checking the monitors. "We know her."

"That's good enough for me." Adam chipped in. "We'll leave her to you."

"Overdrive Accelerate!" They called out. They assembled near the door, and Mack pointed the way.

"We'll have to fight our way to her." He instructed his team. "Let's go!"

With that, they all leapt from the craft, leaving only the Returning Rangers and the Unchosen. Charisma looked to Tangaroa and Grace.

"Now's the time if you want to back out." She told them.

"We can't lose Sean." Tangaroa told her. "We're coming with you."

"Well if that's your final decision, so be it." She replied. "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!" Her team called out together.

"Ready!" Gabby responded. Charisma had almost forgotten she was still there. She smirked as she thought about it. Out of all of them, Gabby had never really been a Ranger. Sure, the Unchosen were never Rangers, but they easily had enough power to match them, and the experience to match. Gabby was pretty much stumbling around blind in all of this. She knew the young girl wanted to help, she just wasn't sure if she was up to it. She consoled herself with the thought that at least if she was with her team, then she could watch over her.

"It's Morphing Time!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, HA!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up, HA!"

"SPD Emergency!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

As they all assembled near the door, Adam looked to the roof of the tallest building, seeing a single, lone figure standing there. It was Dai Shi, in his Griffon armour, though without his helmet, allowing them to see Sean's face. Grace let out a small gasp as she saw him.

"I guess that saves him for us." Kira stated. "Come on guys, Sean needs our help."

With that, they all leapt from the craft, landing on the rooftop. Grace and Tangaroa cast forth their Zukado power, softening their landing.

"I wondered how long it would be before you showed up." He told them. "You're keeping strange company."

"We never wanted this." Tangaroa stated. "Give us back our friend!"

"I will admit, he isn't as desirable a host as Jarrod, but he will serve the purpose until I muster enough power to regain my true form." Dai Shi responded. "Sean is too weak to force me out."

"You can't talk about him that way!" Grace called out as she drew her weapons. "He's a Pai Zhuq, and he's our friend. Let him go!"

"Make me!" He replied as a jian appeared in his hand. Dozens of Rinshi appeared on the rooftop, facing off against them.

"An invitation I can get on board with." Charisma stated as they charged into battle.

Over at the other side of town, Lothor was busy wrecking buildings when the Jungle Fury Zords arrived. He watched them coming towards him.

"Why are there always Zords?" He asked as he fired power blasts their way. "When will I be free of all these infernal Zords?"

"You'll be seeing your last Zords soon enough." Casey responded as they charged through his power blasts. "Stampede!"

With that, all the Zords powered up to full power, smashing into him and sending him to the ground. He shrank as his power faded. He crawled along the ground, trying to get his bearings as the Rangers surrounded him. RJ stepped on his hand, causing him to wince in pain. He followed his leg upward, looking up at the Wolf Master.

"You threatened my wife." He stated, grinding Lothor's hand painfully into the pavement. "You threatened my son!"

With that, he brought his knee up into Lothor's face, sending him flying backwards into a wall. Before he could get to his feet, the air was smashed from his ribcage by the Jungle Mace.

"You threatened my son!" She screamed as she launched it into him again and again, smashing him further and further into the wall. "He's a baby! You threatened to kill my baby!"

Lothor slumped to the ground lifelessly under the relentless assault. Casey finally intervened, holding Lily to stop her from destroying him completely.

"It's alright Lily, he won't be harming anyone anymore." He assured her as Camille stepped forward, presenting a jar to the evil space ninja.

"You made one fatal mistake Lothor." She told him as she opened the jar, sucking him inside before sealing it. "You never threaten a child in front of his mother."

"One down, two to go." Casey announced as he drew their attention back to the chaos in the city. All the kalzaks had disappeared, but the Rinshi were still tearing the city apart. "Come on guys, these people need our help."

Over in the theatre district, Miratrix was looking around in confusion as the kalzaks faded and disappeared from sight. Two rinshi slammed into the wall beside her, disappearing as they did so. She looked up, seeing Mack standing before her.

"Since Lothor was controlling the kalzaks, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet your new boyfriend has gone the same way Kamdor did."

"You defeated him?" She asked incredulously.

"Our friends did." Ronny corrected her. "The thing about Rangers is we stick together. Take on one of us..."

"You take on all of us." Dax concluded as he stepped into view. "You really suck at relationships Miratrix. First Will dumped you, then you ditch Tyler, and now you've lost Lothor."

"I was good enough for you wasn't I?" She taunted him, drawing her swords. "I guess I have to deal with you myself."

As she lunged forwards, Mack parried her blow, before spinning her around and holding her tightly. Miratrix fought to escape his grip, but he was far too strong. He turned her around, forcing her to look at Rose.

"Recognise this?" She asked her, holding up the crystal necklace. "I figured out how to reverse the effects of the laser. It's the benefit of being a genius."

"No, you can't do this!" Miratrix shrieked, re-doubling her efforts to break free as she realised what was happening. "I can't go back to that crystal!"

"You chose this life Miratrix." Mack told her. "Now you have to live with the consequences."

He shoved her away and retreated to a safe distance as Rose slipped the crystal necklace into a hand laser. Levelling it in Miratrix's direction, the ninja only just had time to scream before she fired, drawing her back into the crystal. Rose pulled out the necklace, looking at it intently.

"I guess you'll never learn Miratrix." She stated. "Come on guys, these people need our help."

"What about Dai Shi?" Mack asked her.

"The city's going to hell; if we don't help more people are going to get hurt." Rose reminded him. "Charisma's on the case. We just have to trust that she can get the job done."

Up on the roof, the battle was raging. Dealing with the first couple of rinshi in her way, Charisma confronted Dai Shi.

"You again." He sneered as he saw her, drawing his sword into a guarding position. "I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson back at the temple."

"It takes more than one hit to take me down." She replied. She hesitated for a second as she felt something happening to her. She could feel another presence in her mind. Dai Shi gave her an evil grin as he looked at her.

"Of course it takes more than one hit. Physically you may be one of the greatest warriors that ever lived." He complimented her. "Of course, your heart tells an entirely different story."

"You read my mind?" She asked him. "Trust me; Darksoul did that a couple of times. There's nothing..."

"I know everything about you Charisma." He taunted her. "You know, it seems that despite your triumphs, the one thing you want still eludes you."

"You're trying to play head games?" Charisma sneered in response. "Trust me, I've heard..."

"How are things between you and Colin?" He asked her. "They're not going as well as you'd like are they?"

"Shut up!" She snapped as she rushed him. She fired off a couple of blasts from her Delta Blasters which he swatted aside with ease. As she tried to pistol whip him with her weapons, he slashed across her chest, before turning her around and hooking her in a tight grip.

"You tell others it doesn't matter, but it does to you." He continued. "He doesn't love you."

"Liar!" She creamed, breaking his grip and spinning around, bringing one of her pistols across his brow. Dai Shi laughed at the blow.

"If he did, surely he would have made a commitment by now." He said, causing her to look at her feet, distracted as the pain of his words in her heart. She couldn't believe his words, she knew Colin loved her, but her friends' wedding had brought out a number of thoughts and feelings in her that she had never expected. She wanted to be with him for good, but so far they hadn't even talked about where they saw their relationship going. Her distraction gave Dai Shi enough time to kick her hard, sending her over the edge of the rooftop. She felt a hand grabbing her wrist, stopping her from falling. Looking up, she saw Gabby holding her up.

"Give me your other hand!" She called out to the older woman. "Guys, keep these jumping clay pots off me!"

Gabby pulled her up, bringing Charisma back to safety. The Red SPD Ranger looked up at her in surprise.

"Are you alright? He hit you pretty hard." Gabby asked her.

"I'll be fine." Charisma assured her. "I need..."

"Its fine, we're all here." Gabby reminded her as the others continued their battle with the rinshi, disposing of the last of them. "We all have to stick together. Once a Ranger..."

"Always a Ranger." Charisma completed the statement, allowing Gabby to help her to her feet.

"It's over Dai Shi!" Kira snarled as the Rangers faced him. "You're all alone now!"

"That's just the way I like it." He called back, powering up his rinzin power and blasting them all off their feet. Tangaroa rushed him, scoring a couple of telling hits to his breast plate before grabbing him.

"Sean, you have to fight him!" He implored his friend. "We don't want to destroy you!"

"Come back to us!" Grace shrieked as she joined her friend in restraining him. "Please!"

"Your friend is lost to you!" Dai Shi roared as he threw them off him. "I can feel the fear of the humans giving me power. Before long, I will rise again."

"Think again Dai Shi!" Xander yelled. "Come on guys, we need to focus here. Let's hit him all at once!"

Tori powered up her water blast and waited for the word, looking to Kira. She nodded in understanding, taking a deep breath. Xander prepared his wand, while Adam called forth the Power Axe.

"Give me your best shot!" Dai Shi beckoned them. "I can take anything any of you can throw at me."

"You might be able to take what any one of us can throw at you." Charisma said as she came into position with Gabby at her side. "But not all of us. NOW!"

With that, Adam launched himself into the air, drawing his attention. He prepared to block the downward strike, though the others were already prepared. Charisma fired her Delta Blaster at the exact moment Kira unleashed her Ptera Scream and Tori launched her Water Power. Xander used his Earth Power to call forth vines to hold Dai Shi in place, preventing him from blocking. All the attacks hit Dai Shi at the same moment, smashing him out of his Griffon Armour. He looked down, bemused.

"Unleash the Humming Bird!" Gabby screamed, launching her animal spirit at him. It hit him square in the face, sending him flying for a loop before he hit the ground. Tangaroa knelt on his chest, holding him down.

"Sorry Sean, but you're our friend." He told him.

"This is for your own good." Grace stated as she plunged a knife into his chest, prising out the claw. Sean screamed in pain as she dug out the evil thing, releasing him from Dai Shi's poison. She threw it to Charisma as she looked down into his eyes.

"Sean?" She asked him. He looked at her with a terrified gaze.

"You saved me!" He gasped. Tangaroa got off his chest, allowing him to sit up. He threw his arms around his two comrades. "Thank you, all of you. I'm so sorry!"

It was many hours before order was restored in the city. Even after the rinshi and kalzaks disappeared, there were still many fires to put out, and a lot of casualties to tend to. RJ breathed a sigh of relief as he returned to JKP, finding that it was one of the few buildings that hadn't been destroyed. It was damaged and would need to be cleaned up, but all things considered, things could have been worse. All of the Rangers assembled inside for an impromptu party to celebrate their victory.

As the party wore on, Kira noticed that Charisma was not joining the others. She came over to her one-time protégé and sat by her, putting an arm around her.

"You know the others are having a good time in there, you might want to join them." She said warmly. Charisma shook her head and threw Lily's arm off.

"I need to be ready to take the VTOL back to New Tech." She responded. Gabby came over to them carrying a couple of glasses of wine and presented one to Charisma.

"I don't drink." Charisma said, holding up her hand, showing her the x marked on it.

"She's straight edge." Kira explained as she got up. "I'll get some lemonade."

Gabby sat down next to her and breathed a sigh.

"I'm not 21." She stated. "Will you bring me in if I have these?"

"I might be a federal agent, but I couldn't care less about a teenager drinking." Charisma stated. "You did well today."

"Thanks." She replied. "It's my first time out."

"Really?" Charisma asked her. Gabby giggled in reply.

"OK, it's my first time morphing." She said in clarification. "I fought the Unchosen once before."

"You know, I was worried about you but now...you've shown me so much." Charisma told her. "What are you planning to do with your life?"

"Well I'm waiting on acceptance letters from a few universities." She replied with a shrug.

"What about being a Ranger?" Charisma asked her. "There were only four Soulfire Rangers, but there are five SPD morphers. We'll be looking for a pink SPD Ranger in the near future."

"You want me?" Gabby asked her, a smile coming to her face.

"I think you've proven yourself." Charisma replied. "So do you want to come to New Tech?"

Gabby thought about it for a while, but she shook her head as she played with her engagement ring. She knew where she was meant to be.

"Sorry, but no." She stated. "I'm staying here."

"Look, I know it's a big ask..."

"Charisma, you don't get it." Gabby interrupted her. "When Dom and I got together, it didn't feel like I gained anything. It felt like I'd had something returned to me, something that I didn't even know I was missing. I know my future's with him."

"Gabby..."

"Charisma, I don't know why you're upset, but I know that this is where I'm meant to be." Gabby told her. "You're with Colin, you understand right?"

She couldn't answer. Her eyes filled with tears and she whimpered, showing a weakness Gabby hadn't seen in all the time she had known her. Gabby pulled her in, hugging her.

"I love him; I want to be with him for good." She snivelled as she held Gabby in her pain. "He won't even talk about marriage. Why doesn't he want me?"

With that, Gabby just held the older woman warmly and let her cry, unleashing months of suppressed emotion. Gaby couldn't help feeling sorry for her as she wept. Something had obviously been troubling the SPD Ranger for some time, and by the sound of it, it had something to do with her boyfriend.


	83. SPD Emergency

A while later, Gabby had managed to calm Charisma down enough to get her outside to somewhere a little more private. She came up to her, handing her a glass of lemonade and put her arm around her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked the older woman. Charisma looked at her a little uneasily. Despite everything she had learned and all the walls she had broken down during her time as a Ranger, she still wasn't terribly comfortable with trusting others with her emotions and making herself vulnerable to others.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Charisma said weakly. "Forget it."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that." Gabby told her. "We Rangers have to stick together."

"I'm fine." Charisma lied blatantly. Gabby wasn't at all satisfied by this and planned on bringing it up with her. She heard a small knock on the door and turned to find Kira there.

"Gabby, could you help me in the kitchen for a second?" She asked. Gabby wasn't happy about leaving Charisma there alone, but she knew that staying would only cause Charisma to think she was taking pity on her, and she didn't seem like the kind of person to appreciate that. She went inside with Kira, only to be pulled aside.

"I heard someone crying earlier." She told the younger girl. "Everyone else was in the room with us. Which one of you was it?"

"Kira, it's a little private..."

"I thought you were happy." She said sympathetically. "Look, I know things can get a little heavy in this business. You don't have to carry it all alone."

"Kira, it's fine, I'm alright." Gabby assured her. "I'm fine, it's nothing, seriously. Charisma asked if I'd be interested in a spot on her team, but I turned her down. I want to stay here with Dom."

"Gabby, that isn't what I asked about." Kira reminded her as Lily came into the hall to see what the fuss was about. "I wanted to know which of you was crying."

"Someone was crying?" Lily asked. "Gabby, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine Lily!" She said in an exasperated gasp. "I'm alright, I wasn't crying..."

"So it was Charisma?" Kira asked her. Gabby almost kicked herself as she realised how she had walked into that one. "Gabby?"

"It was, but she's fine now." She replied. "Now, can we...?"

"Charisma's never been great at dealing with things when she's hurt." Kira stated. "What did she say?"

"It was a private conversation." Gabby told them. "If she wanted you to know then she'd tell you."

"I've known Charisma a lot longer than you have." Kira told her. "She keeps a lot to herself, even when it isn't the best thing for her."

"She trusts me..."

"Gabby, if something was upsetting you, wouldn't you want someone to help you?" Lily asked her. Gabby just nodded.

"She said something about her boyfriend." Gabby told them. "When I told her I didn't want to go to New Tech to be on her team I told her I wanted to stay with Dom. She got really upset about that. She said that she wants to take things further with Colin."

"Those two were always too closed off to just say what they're feeling." Kira commented as she rolled her eyes. "It took her most of her senior year to be able to tell him how she felt, and Colin kissed me just because he thought I was her."

Lily and Gabby both looked at her a little stunned. Kira held up a hand.

"He was poisoned and...You know what? It's a long story." She told them. "The point is, neither of them has dealt with their feelings well."

"The thing is, she said that their friends got married last year." Gabby told them.

"Dippy and Scott, Tommy and I went to the ceremony." Kira confirmed as she listened to the story.

"Apparently she's tried to talk to Colin about where they're going, but he keeps putting it off." Gabby told them.

"What a jerk!" Lily barked a little aggressively. "He doesn't want to commit?"

"I'm not sure that's the problem." Kira replied defensively. "I don't think we have all the facts. I think we need to find out what's going on with Colin. He's a little complicated himself."

"What's complicated?" Lily asked her. "If he loves her..."

"It isn't that simple." Kira stated. "Charisma needs to go back to New Tech soon. I think it's time I made a little call. Until I say otherwise, don't say anything to her; just do what you can to cheer her up."

With that, Kira left them to their thoughts. Lily turned to Gabby.

"I'm not sure what he could be thinking about." Gabby sighed. "She's totally into him, that much is obvious."

"Kira has pretty good instincts as far as these things go. She helped me and RJ to get together." Lily told her. "If she says she has something in mind, I'd trust her."

Kira went into the bathroom for some privacy, pulling out her cell phone. She dialled, waiting on an answer.

"Hello?" Colin answered in his thickly accented voice. "Mrs. Oliver?"

"Colin, I think you really need to get down here." Kira told him. "Charisma's really upset."

"She never said anything to me." Colin responded. "What's she upset about?"

"I really think it would be best if you came here and talked to her yourself." Kira replied.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to her?" He rushed out in a panic. He cared for her deeply, he loved her. "Is she hurt?"

"She is hurt, and not in the way any of us can fix." Kira told him sternly. "Come out here, she needs you."

"I'll recall the VTOL remotely." He replied in a sigh. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Well you better be mister." Kira warned him. "If you're not, you'll have me to answer to."

As she hung up, she made her way back towards the stairs as Gabby and Lily brought Charisma back.

"I'm sorry about that." She laughed weakly, wiping her eyes. "I guess I was just having a little bit of a moment."

"You haven't learned much have you?" Kira laughed as she took Charisma's arm. "It's alright to have a moment or two."

Charisma smiled at her and made her way back into the room. Lily and Gabby came to Kira's side.

"You called him didn't you?" Lily asked.

"Yup." Kira replied.

"You know people really hate it when others interfere right?" Gabby asked her.

"Why don't you ask David if he objects?" Kira asked in reply. "If I hadn't gotten involved, he might not have been born."

"Low blow Ptera girl!" Lily giggled in response. "I just hope this doesn't blow up spectacularly."

"So do I." Kira sighed as they left. "So do I."

Charisma was sitting in the apartment with the others, just quietly watching the night unfold. She couldn't believe that she had broken down like that in front of a young woman who, until that very day had been a perfect stranger.

Looking around the room, she could understand why she had gotten this way. She had never been much of a traditional girl, especially considering what happened to her sister. Gabby came back into the room, making her way over to Charisma with Lily and they each sat with her.

"You really should talk about this." Gabby told her. "It's obvious that whatever's going on is really upsetting you."

"I can't believe this has gotten to me so much." She said with a nervous laugh as she looked down to her tattoo. "For a long time I would never have even thought about stuff like this. I wanted to be self-sufficient; I didn't want to give my life to another person."

"Giving your life to another person doesn't mean you give them your life, it only means you share it." Lily told her warmly. "RJ and I are married, but I'm still my own person."

"After what happened to my sister, it took me a long time to realise that." Charisma replied as she considered everything that was going on in her mind. "Her name was Lily; I got this in her honour. She started dating a guy who didn't treat her right and got her involved in some things she shouldn't have done. She was sold some bad stuff and took a bad reaction to it at a party. She died on the way to hospital."

"I guess that's why you don't drink or do drugs." Lily commented. Charisma nodded to confirm the detail.

"It was on an anniversary of her funeral that Colin found out." Charisma told them. "I never wanted to rely on anyone again, but he made me realise that there were people worth putting my trust in."

She laughed a little as she thought about the situation she was in. It all seemed so ridiculous that it hurt her so much.

"For so long I never even wanted to get married. I wouldn't want to give anyone that kind of position in my life." She continued, taking a sip of some lemonade. "When Dippy and Scott got married though, something inside me just changed. When I saw how happy they were, I felt like I was missing out on something."

She looked over to where RJ, Michael and Master Finn were fawning over David, largely borne out of guilt that he had been put in danger. Lily saw the slightly distracted look in Charisma's eyes as she smiled.

"I just want to feel like our relationship's going somewhere." She stated. "I love him, and I know he loves me. I know I've said it's just a stupid piece of paper, I'm not sure that I want to get married just yet. I just...want to think that'll happen at some point."

"Have you ever told him that?" Gabby asked her. Charisma just sighed and shook her head.

"I've tried." She murmured quietly. "Since the wedding, I've tried to ask him where he sees us going a few times, but he keeps finding ways of changing the subject. He asked me if I was unhappy with him. I couldn't say yes, so I just let it drop. It just hurts that he won't even talk about it."

"Charisma, maybe you've gotten your answer." Lily suggested. "If he's so adamant he isn't going to talk about this, maybe that is the answer."

Charisma looked at her a little upset by this statement, but Lily was showing her an element of tough love. Although she didn't want to hear this, despite not wanting to consider losing him from her life, this was exactly what she feared.

"Maybe he doesn't intend to go any further." Lily told her. "If that's the case, you just need to consider if that's enough for you."

Charisma looked over to Camille and Casey, watching as they talked with each other, tending to their daughter. She shook her head sadly.

"No, it isn't enough for me." She replied. "Not anymore."

Meanwhile, outside, Kira was getting some air when a young man arrived. He had changed a little since she had last seen him.

He was about 5' 8", and reasonably muscular, though he was more toned than large as a result of years training as a fighter since his Ranger days. His hair was thick, light brown, and just a little too long, occasionally falling into his bright green eyes. He had grown a moustache since she had last seen him, and he had just a little stubble. He was wearing a blue T-shirt with the SPD initials on the breast; though he was wearing his almost trademark jeans, boots and black, ankle length trench coat over it. He had never been one to follow rules too closely, and Kira was sure that he would have driven his superiors mad.

"It's good to see you again." Colin greeted her in his thick Scottish accent. "You're looking well."

"You're looking a little roughed up." Kira replied, noting that he was limping and had a couple of noticeable cuts and bruises on his face. "I guess the new job can get a little rough."

"It has its moments." He replied. "You said Charisma was upset."

"It's a little more than that, she was in tears earlier." Kira told him. Colin just shook his head gently and made his way towards the door, but Kira blocked his path.

"I thought you wanted me to talk to her." Colin stated.

"Colin, do you even know why she's upset?" Kira asked him. He looked at her blankly.

"Not really." He replied with a shrug. "I know she's had something on her mind for a while now."

"Colin, sometimes you have to be the dumbest guy I've ever met." Kira reprimanded him. "You really have no idea have you? Do you realise how close you are to losing her?"

He looked a little stunned as she said this. He hadn't really considered what happening in his relationship. Things hadn't been as close between them as they had been. He knew something was bothering her, but she just wouldn't tell him what it was.

"She said that?" Colin asked her. "She hasn't said anything to me."

"Are you sure that's true?" Kira asked him in response, getting into his face. "Maybe she's tried to tell you, but you weren't listening."

"Look, we've all been busy with training and setting up the SPD complex." Colin told her. "I will admit that things have occasionally had to go on the back burner..."

"Scott and Dippy seemed to manage to keep talking." Kira interrupted him sharply. Colin looked at her, a little puzzled by her statement. "Don't you get it? You've been with her for five years! Have you even thought about what you want to do with your lives?"

He breathed a sigh as he heard her say this. Charisma had tried to get him to talk about this a couple of times, but he couldn't bring himself to have that conversation.

"She told me things were fine as they are." Colin stated defensively. "We agreed that we liked things the way they are."

"Did she agree to that?" Kira asked him. "Or did you agree to it?"

He didn't want to answer that one. He knew that he had been avoiding that conversation for a long time, it was bringing things up that he had been afraid to for a long time.

"I love, her, she knows I do." Colin stated. "We're together for good, we both know that. I couldn't imagine being with someone else."

"Then why are you not even willing to talk about this?" Kira asked him.

"I just don't see why we need that piece of paper." He replied. "Charisma said it herself so many times; it's just a piece of paper..."

"There's something else holding you back isn't there?" Kira asked him. "Are you really that scared of commitment?"

"I'm not scared of commitment!" He snapped. "I am committed to her. I love her; I want to be with her for the rest of my life."

"So why is marrying her such a problem for you?" Kira asked him. "Unless you're just saying that..."

"I'm not afraid of commitment, I'm just afraid!" He responded, his voice indicating a mixture of anger and fear. "I'm afraid alright?"

"What are you afraid of?" Kira asked. She suddenly got a look of realisation on her face. "This isn't even about Charisma is it? This is about Yvonne!"

Colin couldn't even look at Kira as he realised she had hit the nail on the head. His biggest fear was that history would repeat itself, and since they were both in this dangerous industry, he realised that it was a very real possibility.

"You know that wasn't your fault." Kira told him. "Yvonne's brother killed her."

"She died because she agreed to marry me." Colin reminded her. "I know that it was Callum that did it. I know it was an accident, but I couldn't bear for that to happen to Charisma too."

"Colin, this Ranger gig is dangerous; you and Charisma both know that." Kira told him. "Do you really think it'll make a difference if you're married to her or not?"

"I just really don't want to have to go through that again." He said sadly. "I don't know if I can."

"Well you better hope protecting Charisma is worth it, because if you're not careful you might just protect her out the door." Kira informed him bluntly.

"Is that what's got you so worried?" Charisma asked him as she came outside to see where Kira was. "You're worried you'll lose me like you lost Yvonne?"

Kira realised that this was the opportunity for them to have a frank discussion. She knew that Colin would never have voiced his fears to her through choice. With Charisma overhearing this conversation, she now understood what had made him so reluctant to talk about their future.

"Charisma, you know I love you." Colin assured her. "What happened with Yvonne..."

"Colin, I'm not Yvonne." She reminded him. "What happened to her was tragic, I know it took you a long time to get over that, but you can't live your life afraid that the same thing's going to happen to me."

"It's just so hard." He replied. "I know you're not the same as Yvonne, but this thing..."

"Colin, you and I both know that this is a dangerous business. I can't guarantee what will happen." She said as reassuringly as she could, looking into his eyes. "It's possible we could be killed in the course of our duties, it's a fact of life."

She moved closer, putting her arms around his neck as she looked up at him.

"Dying is easy; you just have to be there when the time comes." She told him. "What's important is the life you live before that happens."

"I guess I didn't think about it that way." He responded as he smiled down at her. "So is it that important to you?"

"I'd just kind of like to know we're going somewhere with this." She told him. "We're not going to be Rangers forever."

"I guess that's true." He responded with a small laugh, wiping away a tear. "I want to be with you for good."

"Is that a proposal?" She asked him. "If it is, it kind of sucked."

Colin just nodded in understanding and stepped back a little, before sinking to one knee. Charisma felt her heart racing as he did this.

"Charisma Francine Jones, will you marry me?" He asked her. Charisma nodded, unable to speak as her tears began, before leaning in, kissing him passionately. Lily, Gabby and Kira watched on from the door, pleased that she was happy.

"I can't believe she let him off the hook so easily." Lily commented. "He was a jerk..."

"Lily, there's a lot about him you don't know; I'd give him a break." She told her younger friend.

"Look at how happy he made her." Gabby added as she gestured to them. "Isn't that what's important?"

"I guess so." Lily sighed. "I wonder if they've thought about a date, or someone to read the ceremony..."

"I don't think we want to inflict that on the poor girl, do you?" Gabby giggled. Lily just gave her a dark look as her two friends shared a laugh at her expense.

"You guys suck." She grumbled as they went back inside, leaving Colin and Charisma to celebrate together.


	84. Back to Normal

The next day, the Rangers all gathered in JKP to say their goodbyes to each other.

"I wish you could all stay a little longer." Lily told them warmly as she hugged Tori goodbye. "We'd love to have you."

"We'd love to, but I really should get back to the twins." Kira responded. "They're at a difficult age."

"Really, what's up?" Lily asked her. "It's been ages since I've seen them."

"Let's just say they inherited more from us than their good looks." Kira replied with a small laugh. "They're getting used to their new powers; we're trying to teach them to use them responsibly."

"Well I can't wait to see Sally." Tori chipped in. "I have to hear all about her play. Blake promised to record it for me, so I'll get to see it, even if it is a little late."

"Anyway, we can all get together again soon." Colin told them as he wrapped his arms around Charisma, holding her tightly. "It'll only be about another year before we walk down the aisle."

"I would like to do it sooner, but Doggie wants us to start sorting through Pink Ranger candidates." Charisma added, pulling his arms more tightly around her. "Are you sure you don't want to try out Gabby? I still say you'd be a shoe in for the position."

"Thanks for the offer, but I've made my choice." She replied, putting her arm around Dom. "Being a Ranger for the day was cool and everything, but I think I'll leave the Spandex to the others. I got into the law degree I was hoping for in Blue Bay Harbour."

"Well make sure you give me a call when you get into town." Tori told her. "Blake and I have a spare room we can let you have."

"Thanks, but Mark got into the same course, so I'll be staying in his apartment." She replied.

"Well at least swing by Storm Chargers." Tori suggested. "I run my custom surfboard business out of there. The owner Kelly and I are good friends. I'm sure she could hook you up with a job."

"Thanks." Gabby replied, accepting a business card from the Ninja Ranger. "I wanted to pay my own way through my degree."

"Well we should be going." Charisma announced cheerfully. "We need to get Tyler and the others back to SPD headquarters. Cruger will make sure they never escape."

"Actually we thought Sean and his friends would be more useful at the Vault." Master Phant told her.

"You're kidding right?" She asked him sceptically. "They're criminals! They deserve to be punished!"

"I agree with you, we all do." Sean replied as Tangaroa and Grace came to his side. "But I felt Dai Shi's presence inside me. I know his evil first-hand. He can never be allowed to be released. That's why if you let us go, we'll remain as guardians at The Vault."

"They are sincere in their desire to ensure no one opens The Vault again." Master Phant assured her. "They are unable to open it themselves. Once I put Lothor, Miratrix and Dai Shi are sealed inside; they will remain to prevent anyone else entering the temple."

Charisma looked at the Unchosen Three a little sceptically. She wasn't sure about leaving them behind; she was supposed to be bringing those responsible for the attacks to justice. Of course, she now knew first-hand how important it was that no one entered The Vault again.

"We understand if you don't trust us." Grace told her. "If you still want to bring us in, we'll understand. We'll come quietly."

"You know, Cruger only asked us to bring in Tyler." Colin reminded her. "He didn't ask us to bring them in."

"He didn't know the others were responsible." Charisma responded. "If he did..."

"Charisma, they want a chance to redeem themselves." Colin told her. "They won't be able to enter The Vault, and letting them stay and guard it would be more useful than imprisoning them."

Charisma thought about it for a while, before groaning as she relented.

"It's against my better judgement, but alright." She replied. She turned to Sean.

"I have to warn you, if you step out of line..."

"We won't, we know how important this is." Sean assured her. "We'll dedicate our lives to guarding Dai Shi's spirit. He'll never rise again."

With that, Charisma shook his hand, accepting his decision. She didn't know if it was a wise decision to leave them behind, but she trusted Master Phant's judgement enough to take the risk.

"Anyway, we need to get going. The guys will want to know they'll be planning a wedding." Colin told them. "Not to mention we still have a prisoner to deal with."

"Doggie also wants us to find that Pink Ranger." Charisma reminded him. "He's planning on going public with SPD within the next year."

"Well at least you'll get to tell your parents the truth about what you're doing." Casey said with a small laugh. "I know it was a relief when mom and my sisters found out."

"You don't know my dad." Charisma said in response. "That's a conversation I am not looking forward to."

"Would you like a lift Xander?" Colin asked him. "It's a two hour drive or a ten minute flight, and Briarwood is on the way."

"Thanks, I'd like that." He replied. "I'll see all of you again I'm sure, but right now, there's a certain Blue Ranger I have to get back to."

As the three left, Kira turned to Adam.

"Well its back to Vegas for us." She told him. "Tommy's been alone with the twins for a couple of days now. They must be driving him up the wall."

"Well I did manage to get a couple of days break from Chrissie's hormones I guess." He sighed in response. "My wife's working on our first. She's at the hormonal stage."

"I can sympathise with that." Theo replied before he could stop himself. Fran gave him an icy stare that let him know she had heard him. He was going to pay for that one.

"Oh, so not smart!" Kira warned him. "Come on Adam, you can drive. Let's get out of here before we witness a murder."

With that, Adam and Kira got into their car and drove away, leaving Tori as the last one there.

"I better get going too." She told them. "If I leave now, I should get home in time for dinner."

"Well it'll be good to see your daughter." Gabby replied. "I'll call you when I get into town."

"Be sure that you do." Tori replied as she made her way to her van. "You might only have been a Ranger for one day, but that's enough. Once a Ranger, always a ranger."

"I have to admit that I'm kind of digging the solidarity of the spandex." Gabby responded. "I'll see you in the fall."

With that, Tori waved as she pulled away, leaving the Overdrive Rangers with the Jungle Fury team.

"We should be going too." Mack chipped in. "With Ronny behind the wheel, we'll be back in San Angeles within the hour."

"It was great seeing you all again." Ronny said as the two teams exchanged hugs, high-fives and handshakes. "Keep in touch, all of you."

"We sure will." Fran told her. "If nothing else, I need to tell you the date of my husband's funeral."

"On that note, I think we should go before the bloodshed starts." Will commented, holding Rose tightly. "Come on Ronny, time to show us why Sports Illustrated calls you the fastest woman alive."

With that, they left. The Jungle Fury Rangers waved them off as they pulled out of the parking lot. It was then that a taxi arrived, and Jarrod and Susan got out.

"Did you guys forget about us?" Jarrod asked them. "Casey, you were meant to pick us up at the airport."

"Jeez, it completely slipped my mind, I'm sorry about guys." Casey rushed out as he realised that in the chaos of the last couple of days, they had indeed forgotten this was the day Jarrod and Susan were due to return from their honeymoon.

"We leave town for a couple of weeks and everyone forgets about us?" Susan asked in a laugh. "Come on, since Dai Shi was destroyed, it's not like there's a whole lot to occupy your minds."

"Trust me, you have no idea." Lily grumbled, before throwing her arm around her shoulders and leading Susan inside. "Come on now, we need to see all those holiday photos. I want to hear all about it."

As they all went inside, Gabby grabbed Dom's sleeve gently, holding him back. She wanted to talk to him.

"Dom, this thing with Charisma, it made me think a lot about what I want from life." She began. "Dom, I think we need to talk about something."

"Gabby, you know I can't leave the temple." He reminded her, thinking about what she was about to say. "I know it sucks that we won't see each other as often, but I can't come with you."

"I know that Dom, I wasn't going to ask you to come with me." She replied. "I actually wanted to talk about our wedding."

"Gabby, you know I'm cool to wait for you." He assured her.

"That's just it Dom, I'm not sure I am." She replied with a smile. "How does next summer grab you?"

He smiled as he heard her say this. He couldn't contain his joy at the thought of spending his life with her.

"I know that the long-distance thing will be hard, but I really want to make this work." She told him. "When Charisma asked me to go to New Tech and join her team, I was really flattered, but I never even considered it. I really want to be here with you."

"I really love you, you know that right?" He asked her, moving closer. "If you're sure about this..."

She cut him off with a long, soft kiss, taking joy in his presence.

"Dom, there's nothing I want more." She told him. "I love you."

"Well I guess that gives us a year to plan something." He replied as he looked deeply into her eyes. "I guess we just need to talk to your parents."

"I'd like that." She said with a grin. "I need to go home and pack. Call me tomorrow alright?"

"I will." He assured her as she left. He went inside, finding the others all gathered around Jarrod and Susan, listening to all their news from their honeymoon. As he stood by the door, watching them all catching up, it made his heart soar to picture himself and Gabby in the same position. He had been intending to wait until she finished her degree before they would finally get married. He would never have dreamed that it would happen in only one short year.

"Camille, I think our daughter's had enough excitement for one day." Casey told his wife. "Would you mind taking her home? We all have something to discuss."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, before gathering up her daughter's belongings.

"Don't be too late." She warned him as she left. "If you wake her, it'll be the last thing you do."

As soon as she had left, Master Phant gestured them all to huddle closely.

"We all know what we must do." He began as he pulled a clay pot from his robes. "As much as we would all prefer to give them more time to recover from their latest battle, we all know that the correct moon phase is almost upon us."

"I guess it is about time Camille went through the trial." RJ said gently. "She has had 10,000 years to prepare for this."

"It'll be tough on Gabby." Lily added with a nod, thinking about the young woman. "She's ready though. We all know how strong she is."

"She's amazing." Dom stated as he took a seat at the table. "She really stepped up to the plate for us. She'll make it."

"Masters, it is time for the selection ceremony." Master Phant declared, shaking the jar. "We all know how this works. If you select a chip with the student's animal spirit on it, you will be responsible for overseeing their trial. Due to her condition, Master Vulpes will be exempt from the selection process."

"Well that's one thing at least." She sighed in relief.

Dom reached into the jar first, reasoning that if he chose while all the chips were still inside, it was less likely that he would choose Gabby's token. Pulling it out, he breathed a sigh of relief, showing the others that his token was blank.

"I'll go next." Casey stated, reaching into the pot. Just like Dom, he surmised that if he chose while there were more tokens in the jar, he was less likely to choose the one with his wife's animal spirit. He too had lucked out. Inspecting the token, he found that it was blank.

"Well that's the two of you done." Master Phant announced as he reached in, taking a token. Dom and Casey both watched him intently, hoping to gauge his reaction and figure out if he had been chosen to oversee one of the trials, however, he gave no such sign, just looking at his token and putting it away in his robes.

One by one, all the others selected their tokens, checking them and putting them away. As much as they wished they could figure out who was chosen for their respective partner's trials, they knew that tradition dictated secrecy. They weren't even allowed to let them know that they were about to take their trial.

"The selection process has been completed." Master Phant stated, putting the pot away. "The trial will take place in three days time. Until then, it is imperative that Camille and Gabby do not learn of the trial."

"Agreed." They all said in unison, concluding the ceremony.

"Anyway, it's time I was getting my son to bed." Lily stated as she got up from the table. "You've had a busy couple of days, haven't you little man?"

"I guess I should be going too." Fran grumbled as she hauled herself to her feet. "I start my orientation tomorrow."

"I'll run you a nice warm bath when we get back." Theo told her, putting an arm around her and rubbing her back gently as they started to leave.

"Don't think I've forgotten about what you said." Fran warned him. "You're still going to pay."

"Have I told you how beautiful you are?" He asked her as they left. The others enjoyed a laugh at his expense. They knew he would have a lot of sucking up to do to get out of this one.


	85. Another Trial Begins

Gabby was having wonderful dreams of finally being finished with school and being able to just concentrate on Dom when she was gently shaken awake. As her eyes twitched open, a hand was placed softly across her mouth.

"Shhh." Master Phant whispered, placing a finger to his lips. She looked a little confused, and wanted to know what was going on, though as he pointed to a small bag on the floor a little way off she could suspect.

"It's my trial?" She asked him. Her uncle smiled and nodded gently.

"Come with me." He told her in a whisper. "Everything will be fine."

This statement almost made her more afraid than comforted. Dom had told her the trial was brutal, but he had never told her any details of what she'd have to face if it was ever her turn. She had been training with her uncle and Dominic for a while, and had occasionally wondered about whether or not they would bother taking her for her Master's trial. Now though, that question had been answered. This was the day.

She hefted the small bag onto her shoulder and left quietly with her uncle, taking care not to make any noise. She didn't want to disturb her parents. In the bedroom, her mother's lips twitched into a little smile.

"She's going." She whispered to her husband.

"It's her time." He murmured back, holding her more closely. "Her uncle will take care of her."

Gabby arrived at JKP a little after 4 AM, still tired and yawning loudly as she found all of the others gathered around. Camille was sitting cross-legged on the training mat waiting for her and Master Phant to arrive. She hadn't really thought about it much, but it was only now she realised that Camille had never taken the Master's Trial. For millennia she had been excommunicated from the temple. During Fran's trial she had been only barely had her daughter, and so this was really the first opportunity for her to take it. Gabby placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the older woman to look up at her and smile as she sat next to her. They both looked up at the others as they assembled before them...all save for Fran. Being pregnant, it was generally considered best she be allowed to rest whenever she had the chance.

"You will be taken from this place to the Jungle of Spirits." Finn informed them. "There you will camp out overnight. You will be allowed to drink water, but you must not eat during this day."

Gabby looked to Dom, hoping for some form of help, but he could offer her nothing. Camille knew enough about the traditions of the temple not to bother seeking such help from Casey. She just looked at her daughter, still sleeping soundly in his arms and took all the comfort she'd need.

"To become a Master, you must be prepared to battle the enemies of the planet at any time and in any condition." He continued. "The trial will test your strength to the limits."

"To pass the trial, you will have to show strength of Heart." Swoop interjected.

"You will have to have complete mastery of your animal spirit." RJ told them.

"You will have to show great strength of mind." Finn added.

"And you will have to show great strength of will when you are weak." Phant stated. "The true trial will begin tomorrow at first light. The fast is just to prepare you for the beginning of the trial."

"Tomorrow, you will awaken on a path to the ruins of the temple of the ancient masters. A place so sacred all animal spirits, even those not belonging to humans fall silent out of respect." Swoop carried on with the explanation. "To become a Master, you must make your way to the temple and ascend to the top and lay your hands on the crystal at the very top."

"You will each pass through three mystically treated arches on your journey." Finn explained. "The first will begin the Trial of the Heart, where you will face the true face of your most painful experience."

"Reaching the second arch will begin the Trial of the Will." Swoop stated with a sly grin. "You will have to face again your greatest challenge."

"The final arch will begin the Trial of Strength." RJ told her. "The third arch will bring you into the temple grounds, where you will have to ascend to the peak to touch the crystal."

"But the third trial will truly test you." Phant stated. "To ascend the temple to the crystal, you must best the master who is overseeing your trial in full contact combat."

"If your lives are in direct peril, you will be teleported from the jungle sparing your life, but ending your trial in failure." Swoop stated, pre-empting his question. "But make no mistake. What you will encounter in the Jungle IS dangerous and everything you find there CAN hurt you."

"Finally, you must touch the crystal by sun down." Phant told them with authority. "If you do not complete your trial by then, you will have failed."

"Now, get your sleeping bags and come with us." Swoop commanded. "Your destiny awaits you."

Master Phant handed Gabby her sleeping bag, smiling to her in the only comforting gesture he was allowed to give her. She had to face the trial alone, though given how strong she had grown to be, he knew she had the strength to pass. It only remained to be seen if she had the confidence in herself.

Camille crossed over to Casey, looking deeply into his eyes. She knew she couldn't ask him for help, but that wasn't her purpose. She brought her head down, softly kissing Holly on the forehead as she slept.

"Mommy's going to go away for a little while." She whispered. "Be good for daddy little lady."

With that, they all left the apartment. The Trial was never an easy day, and this time was no different. They all just hoped that everything would work out for the best.

Later, in her apartment, Fran stirred out of her slumber as the alarm clock bleeped, mashing her hand down on it with a groan to silence it. She hated mornings these days, especially when she was forced to get up early. As a result of her pregnancy, she regularly felt tired and drained. As she made her way to the shower though, she couldn't help feeling happy. Today was the first day of her observation period in the high school where she had once been a pupil. Today was the first step on her journey to achieving her goal and becoming a teacher.

She fixed her hair and make-up, before pulling on the suit Theo had bought for her. It felt good on her, like Theo was there with his arms around her. It was a feeling she was sure she would need facing the little hell spawn she was going to have to confront. She remembered school all too well, and knew what kids could be like.

Going to the kitchen and opening the fridge, she smiled and felt a warmth running through her as she saw a jug of pancake batter with a note on it from Theo. Despite having to go to the trial with the others, he had taken the time to prepare Fran's favourite breakfast for her. It was little things like this that she loved about him, and showed her how much he cared for her and their unborn child.

In the Jungle of Spirits, Gabby and Camille were led into a clearing by the others. They turned to confront the two women who were about to undertake one of the hardest tests of their lives.

"At sunset, you must drink from this jar." Master Finn instructed them. "Your trial will begin once you awaken."

With that, they all walked away, leaving Gabby and Camille alone. Gabby sat, resting against a tree and hugged her knees for comfort. She really wished she could see or talk to Dom. Even just one kiss, one reassurance that she could do it would be enough for her. Right now though, it all seemed so huge.

Camille was pacing impatiently, running her hands through her hair.

"I really wish they would give us time to prepare." She grumbled. "I can't remember if I've prepared enough formula for Holly..."

"Casey lives and breathes for that girl." Gabby said with a smile. "She'll be fine."

"Maybe I should just go." Camille suggested, beginning to walk to the edge of the clearing. "I really..."

"Camille, Holly will be fine." Gabby replied as she snapped to her feet and grabbed her. "You know that."

"I really just wish I knew what we'd be facing." She muttered. "I don't need to be a master; I need to be with my daughter..."

"Camille, the Masters would never have asked us to take the trial if they didn't think we could handle it." She assured her. "I'm scared too."

With that, they hugged each other for comfort, knowing that once the sun went down they would be facing a huge challenge. The masters, save for those that had been chosen to oversee the Trial were all assembled in the loft of JKP, watching the monitors.

"She'll be fine Casey." Dom assured him. "I know this is hard."

"I know she will Dom." Casey said with a confident grin on his face as he heated a bottle for his daughter. He looked down on her, smiling. "If she can handle this little one, she can handle anything."

"Dada!" Holly gurgled, waving her arms around. "Dada!"

"That never gets old." He told Dom, reaching into the pram and stroking her as she giggled fondly. "I know this will turn out fine."

"So do I Casey." Dom replied as he took over the bottle-heating duties, allowing Casey to play with Holly. "I know they'll get through this."

Fran arrived at the school, making her way into the building while kids went about their business. Things hadn't really changed much since she had left. Some kids were hiding in the corner of the schoolyard smoking, just as they had when she was a student. Some of the nerds were sitting on the steps to the science block, comparing notes on their homework before class. She went into the main building, looking around nervously.

"Are you Mrs. Martin?" A stern looking woman snapped. She appeared to be in her 50's, and of tiny stature, only around 5 feet tall and maybe 80 pounds, but was no less intimidating than any of the monsters Fran had met over the years. Her short, blonde hair was styled into a bob that was so rigidly set and styled that it looked like she spent time every morning with a set-square to ensure not one hair was out of place. She wore a light brown tweed suit with a skirt that extended to her knees and black leather shoes.

"I am." Fran replied, extending a hand.

"I'm Ms. Tennant." She replied sharply, taking Fran's hand, and releasing it again almost as quickly. "You came recommended by Dr. Oliver."

"Tommy...."

"Dr. Oliver!" Ms. Tennant corrected her. Fran realised her mistake. Ms. Tennant had only been head mistress at the school for a few months, and so Fran had never met her before. Tommy had only met her once at a conference and had affectionately described her as having the personality and warmth of a boa constrictor.

"Dr. Oliver told me all about you." She concluded. "I'm sure..."

"In this profession the only thing that's sure is that the little monsters will break you or you will break them." She interrupted. "You are here to observe Dr. Jennings' classes."

"I'm really looking forward to it." Fran told her excitedly. "He used to teach me English, he..."

"This is the classroom." She interrupted Fran. "I hope you learn all you can."

With that, she turned sharply on her heel and marched away. Fran made a little face behind her back. She hadn't expected to be best friends with her after everything she had heard from Tommy, but she wasn't expecting to hate her boss within two minutes of starting her new job.

She went into the classroom, looking around for him, but found no sign of Dr. Jennings. The classroom was empty, and the desks and chairs had been pushed to the walls, leaving the middle clear. She noticed that there was a daffodil on the floor. She made her way over and knelt down, picking it up smiling.

"You haven't changed." Fran commented. "You always were odd."

"I like to call it...unconventional." Dr. Jennings replied as he came in from the store cupboard. He was almost 6 feet tall, with thick brown hair. He had a slight build, with the slightest indications of middle-age spread. His face was warm and kind, with dark brown eyes that shone with enthusiasm. "It's good to see you again Francine."

"You know I hated being called that, even back then." She replied. "It's Fran."

"I still can't believe you're married." He chuckled. He pointed to one corner of the room. "I still remember a keen, bright little girl that sat just over there with her mouth hanging open in wonder as I read poetry."

"Well you did kind of make it come alive." She commented. "You're the one that inspired me to become a teacher."

"I guess I failed then." He sighed. "As they say those who can do, those who can't teach. I kind of hoped you'd become a writer."

"You're a teacher." She pointed out. He smiled at her and nodded.

"That's because I can't." He replied as the bell rang. The students filed into the room, noting with curious expressions that their desks were not in their usual places.

"Sit on the floor, there will be no need for your desks today." He told them. "You will need your notebooks either. Today is not a day for writing. Today is a day for listening."

He made his way into the middle of the group as they stood, a little confused. He gestured them to huddle as he crouched down.

"I'm not joking. Form a circle and sit on the floor." He told them. "I'm going to read, and then you can tell me what you think."

He went back towards his desk, picking up a tatty, red leather bound poetry book, before bringing a chair to the group, setting it down at the edge. He clicked his fingers and gestured to the chair, indicating to Fran to sit. He obviously had taken her condition into consideration and opted to offer her the chair. He went into the centre of the circle and sat cross-legged on the floor.

"By now I'm sure you will have noticed Mrs. Martin, she is my new teaching assistant." He said as he began leafing through the book for the desired page. "At one time she was in exactly the same place as you, and was easily one of the brightest students I've ever taught. If she has something to suggest, I would recommend you listen. Now, shall we begin?"

The students all nodded. He looked up at Fran with a little smirk on his face.

"I didn't hear you." He stated. "Shall I begin?"

"Yes sir." They all replied. He sniggered a little as he realised Fran had answered with them. Old habits died hard.

As the sun sank beneath the tree line in the Jungle of Spirits, Gabby and Camille looked to each other nervously.

"I guess this is it." Camille stated.

Gabby picked up the clay pot of potion and uncorked it, handing it to Camille. She put her hands on Camille's shoulders.

"Dom told me this is a pretty wild ride." She told her. "I'm here."

Camille nodded and drank from the vessel, before dropping it as it took effect. Gabby watched as she collapsed, screaming and writhing on the forest floor as though she was being attacked by a legion of invisible opponents, before finally losing consciousness. Gabby looked down at the pot nervously. Seeing what the potion had done to Camille, she wasn't sure she could do it. She knew the trial was tough, the others had all told her that it was easily the hardest thing they had ever done. Even taking the potion seemed like an ordeal.

Taking a deep breath, she thought about her uncle and Dom. She couldn't back out now. They had so much faith in her that they had put her forward for the trial. She couldn't let them down by backing out. It would be bad enough to fail, but if she didn't even try she knew she'd be too ashamed of herself to look them in the eye again. With that, she pressed the pot to her lips and drank the fluid inside.

She grabbed her head and screamed as images of all the horrors and dangers she had ever faced raced through her mind, relentlessly tormenting her. She sank to her knees as she felt weakened, before darkness finally claimed her, causing her to collapse face-first to the ground unconscious.

Two masters came out of the tree line once they were satisfied the students were unconscious. One of them bent down, picking up Camille.

"You have faced true horrors in your life and ended up a good person." The master whispered, throwing her over one shoulder and walking away. "You can do this."

The other master scooped up Gabby, smiling down at her.

"You make your uncle and your fiancé proud every single day." The master told her, hefting her unconscious body over his shoulders and carrying her to the starting point of her path. "I just know you will again."


	86. Trial of the Chameleon and Hummingbird

Gabby came to a little after sunrise, finding herself on the first step of the path to the temple. The first rays of the sun caught the crystal at the top of the temple, lighting her path.

She paused for a second; uncertain as to whether she wanted to continue. Just as Dom had warned her, the potion had caused a series of wild hallucinations that completely overwhelmed her senses. She had seen some of the biggest and most painful moments of her life, some of her greatest challenges all over again, and she knew that she would have to face some of them.

She made her way slowly to the first arch, taking a long, deep breath as she prepared herself for the first challenge. The trial of the heart, she was to confront the face of her most painful memory. Thinking about Dom and her uncle back in Ocean Bluff, willing her to succeed, and she realised that she had to try. There would be nothing worse than if she gave up before she even gave herself a chance.

As she finally willed herself to step through, she felt herself suddenly growing weak, and a terrible emptiness crept into her. Her animal spirit had left her. Although she had only really trained to use it for a little over a year, it had grown strong in that time. To be without it now was like having a part of herself being ripped from her.

She looked around, trying to figure out what her first challenge could possibly be. As she made her way along the path, she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her, pinning her arms in place. She felt a warm breath against her neck, and felt a shiver running through her that she hadn't felt in so long, she had almost forgotten how much he had terrified her.

"We're together again beautiful." She heard Karl whisper in her ear, before he threw her to the ground. "This time it's going to last for good."

Meanwhile, on her own path, Camille reached the first arch, and stopped short. She wasn't sure if she could go through with this, she already knew what the first trial would be. It wasn't as though her life was particularly devoid of pain. She had been abused by Dai Shi for millennia. She had been tortured by him and his allies for longer than most were ever meant to live, though out of all of it, there was one moment that stood out above everything else, and she wasn't sure she could ever go through that again.

Tears ran down her face as she thought about the miscarriage. Even before she passed through the arch, she knew that was what she would be facing. It was easily the most painful experience of her life, to be able to do nothing as she felt the life that had been growing inside her grow still and end. She could still remember seeing all that blood, it was a horrifying scene, one that still occasionally made its way into her nightmares.

She knew she could end it all now; all she had to do was say the word. She doubted that Casey or the others would blame her. They knew the horrors of her life, asking her to relive it was more than just a big ask, it was cruel. She sat, cross-legged on the ground, just before the arch and stared at the path beyond, quietly whimpering. It was not fair that she had to do this, she couldn't bring back that moment. She just couldn't.

Back in JKP, Casey, Master Phant and Dom were in the apartment, watching their loved one's trials intently. Dom was torn as he sat with his friend. He kept looking to the screen where his fiancée was being tormented by the man who had kidnapped her. Whose obsession with her had led to her enduring more pain and suffering than at any other time in her life, and in the end had led to his destruction. He wanted her to be alright, but at the same time, his heart went out to Casey. He just watched as Camille sat on the ground, unable even to pass through the first arch. He had already figured out why she wouldn't be able to do so.

"Why doesn't she just give up?" Casey asked, as a few tears ran down his face. He held his daughter tightly in his arms, feeling his heart breaking for his wife as he watched her falling apart before him. "It's too hard, why doesn't she just ask to be brought out?"

"The trial is important Casey, but not only for the Pai Zhuq to gain a master." Master Phant told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Casey looked up as he watched Camille finally able to rise to her feet. She wiped her eyes before slowly making her way through the arch. "It is important for all of us to face the challenges of our lives, even if they cause us great pain."

"What do you want from me?" Gabby yelled as she tried to get back to her feet, though as she tried to do so, her wrists and her ankles were drawn together by an unseen force, before being bound by chains, just as she had been in the cabin.

"I want you to join me forever." He told her. "It's the least you owe me after everything you took from me."

"I took nothing from you!" She explained passionately. "I never loved you..."

"You showed me that much alright you ungrateful cow!" He snarled, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her to her knees painfully, beginning to strangle her. "You led me on; you let me think you returned my love..."

"You never loved me." She croaked with the little breath she could muster. "You were sick. You were desperately looking for the love you should have been getting from your dad..."

He cut her off by slapping her back to the ground.

"You brought that cop to the cabin." He reminded him. "It's because of that I got shot. Your testimony got me sent to the psychiatric unit."

"You had a gun, Susan didn't have a choice." Gabby reminded him tearfully.

"It's your fault I'm dead!" He yelled, shoving her back against a tree in a seated position, at which more chains wrapped around her, binding her to the tree. "That's why you don't deserve to live; you don't deserve to be happy."

"None of that is true." Dom screamed at the monitor. "Why is this happening to her? She has nothing to feel guilty about."

"The trial is mystical in nature, it uses everything it learns from a person's mind and heart and uses that to test them." Master Phant reminded him. "You and I both know that she has nothing to blame herself for regarding Karl's death. That doesn't mean that there isn't a part of Gabby that felt responsible."

Karl grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. He got that smile on his face that chilled her when she saw it.

"You deserve to be with me forever for what you've done to me." Karl told her. He looked down to her hand, forcing it open. Gabby realised he was reaching for her engagement ring. "You won't be seeing the pizza boy again..."

He recoiled as she shut her hand tightly into a fist, preventing him from taking it. She had blamed herself for Karl dying at the time. It had taken her a long time to come to terms with the fact he was gone, and in her heart, there was still a part of her that wondered if there was some way she could have known what was going on in his mind, if there was something she could have done that would have prevented what happened.

The moment he tried to take the ring though, he had made his mistake. The one thing she had always been sure of was that Dom loved her, and that she loved him in return. No one could take that feeling from her. He had given her that ring to show her the depths of his love, and to demonstrate that he wanted to be with her forever. She would never allow anyone to take that from her, not even the little piece of her that had felt sorry for Karl, the part that blamed her for his death.

"All I hear is the same excuses Karl!" She screamed at him angrily, causing him to back off a little. "I didn't love you, and you couldn't deal with that. You needed your father because of what happened with your mom and he wasn't there for you. It's his fault you were sick. You turned a gun on a police officer, that's why you got shot!"

The chains restraining her disappeared, allowing her to get up and approach him. She got right into his face, the fear she felt in his presence gone. "What happened to you is tragic, but there was nothing I could have done. You didn't get the help you needed when it could have helped, you can't blame me for that...and neither can I!"

With that, Karl disappeared into the ether. Gabby composed herself as much as she could, and then ran forward, preparing to face her next trial. Passing through the second arch, the man who had been her greatest challenge appeared before her. It was Tangaroa. She had only been training for a couple of months when she was forced to face him in a duel. Lily was pregnant with David at the time, and unable to fight, and under the ancient laws of challenge in Pai Zhuq, a master couldn't be chosen as a second for one unable to fight. There was no choice but for her to face a man that she knew was significantly stronger than her.

"I guess it's time to find out how much I've learned." She muttered to herself as she prepared a guard.

Camille made her way along the path, looking for any sign of the trial to face her. She had almost arrived at the second arch, when she saw something on the path. Approaching it and inspecting it more closely, she recognised it from that day. It was the crib that was destined to be the first home for the child. It had been smashed into oblivion by Dai Shi in his torment as he heard that his child had died.

"You have done this to me!" She heard his rasping, gravelly voice. Her tears began again as she remembered this moment. She turned around, finding Jarrod standing before her, though he was dressed in the leathers and furs that he wore as Dai Shi's vessel. Tears ran down his face, though his expression was one of pain, and anger, a dangerous, murderous anger. He stormed towards her intently, grabbing her roughly. "You've done this to me!"

He threw her down onto the wreckage of the crib, kicking her roughly. "You murdered our child!"

"I did nothing!" She begged him tearfully. "It wasn't my fault!"

She got up, grabbing his jerkin and pulling him into herself, looking into his eyes.

"I was the one that felt it moving, growing inside me! I wasn't the one to blame, I was the victim!" She roared at him, before her expression softened. Her lip quivered as she tried to focus all of her strength on him. "It wasn't yours either Jarrod. Sometimes these things just happen. A lot of bad things were happening to me then. It was nobody's fault. Nothing could have been done."

Jarrod shifted from Dai Shi's form, into his Master's robes. He looked down on her, not with anger, but with sympathy.

"We both lost something precious that day." He told her. "It still hurts to think about it."

"It does for me too." She told him, turning back to the crib, which had been restored to its former glory. "I suppose it always will."

With that, Jarrod and the crib disappeared, leaving her alone in the jungle once more.

Back in the Loft, Dom clapped a hand down on Casey's shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"She made it." He whispered gently. "She's strong Casey, you know she is."

"I just wish she didn't have to go through this." He replied. "Besides, it's cost her a lot of time."

Dom looked up to the monitors, seeing that he was right. The sun was already high in the sky. It had taken a long time for Camille to even be able to face her challenge. He understood why Casey was nervous. He had failed his own trial by not completing it in time. He knew that it was hard for Casey to accept at the time, but his trials had taken so much of his strength to face, it had cost him the time he needed to complete it.

"You know she'll stay strong through this." He assured him as Casey saw her next opponent appear. It was her Phoenix Warrior mode; the form Dai Shi had imprisoned her in when he forced her to be his fourth Phantom Beast General. "She's beaten her once, she'll do so again."

"I really hope so Dom." Casey sighed as his wife rushed to the attack. "I really don't want her to face this again."

Back in the Jungle of Spirits, Gabby was locked in a vicious battle with Tangaroa, neither one of them scoring a significant advantage. She was faster, and had a natural fluidity of movement that countered his greater size and strength, though his superior build made it hard for her to score any significant damage with her attacks.

"You have learned well." He complimented her. "You are far stronger than when I fought you before."

He rushed her, at which point, she managed to find the opening she needed. Grabbing his jerkin, she planted a foot on his abdomen and fell backwards, before driving upwards with all the strength she had, flipping him over onto the ground. She kipped up to her feet and turned around, finding him starting to pull himself up.

"Release the hummingbird!" She screamed, casting forth her animal spirit with all of her power, scoring a hit to the back of his head. He pulled himself up, holding up a hand in surrender.

"You are truly worthy of this challenge." He stated, bowing to her. "Best of luck Hummingbird Master."

"Thank you." She replied, returning the gesture as he disappeared. With that, she sprinted onwards to face her final challenge.

Arriving in the courtyard, she saw a small statue of a hummingbird on a plinth a little way from the pyramid. Making her way over to it, she looked up, seeing that she still had time. The sun was still above the tree line. Finding Fran's adapted morpher at the base, she put it on, activating it.

"Jungle Beast. Spirit UNLEASHED!"

She found herself once more, possibly for the last time in her Ranger form, marvelling at the pink bodysuit, and feeling the power coursing through her again.

"Alright, which one of you is it?" She called out. "Who do I have to face?"

"Dominic and your Uncle should be very proud." The Bat Ranger said, applauding as he approached her. He called forth his Jungle Fans. "Shall we begin?"

Gabby felt a little nervous as she faced him. She knew that her uncle and Swoop had been friends almost since Swoop had been born. Indeed, Master Phant had been the one that taught the Bat Master in the early days. She also knew by talking with them that like RJ, Swoop had been trained almost since birth. He was a powerful foe and she knew it.

She called forth the weapon her uncle had taught her to wield, the Jungle Mace and prepared for battle.

Camille struggled with the Phoenix Warrior, trying to find an opening.

"You were always a weakling!" Her opponent yelled as she smashed her to the ground. "You submitted to Dai Shi's will without so much as a struggle. You sacrificed yourself for a weak..."

The chameleon spirit coursed from her, attacking the Phoenix Warrior viciously. As she struggled to regain footing, Camille soared into the air, bringing both feet down on her ribcage, driving the air from her.

"Casey is not weak!" She screamed at her, mounting her chest and pounding on her opponent ferociously. "He's stood by me when no one else would. He came for me; he released me from Dai Shi's grasp!"

She pulled closely to the Warrior, glaring at her hatefully.

"You were only armour." She replied. "Dai Shi gave you will, the strength was mine."

The Phoenix warrior shimmered and faced from view, leaving her alone. Looking up, she saw that the sun was beginning to sink, and she knew that while she had time, she didn't have long.

Running into the courtyard, she found the chameleon statue in the courtyard, she sprinted to it as quickly as she could, grabbing her morpher. She activated it as quickly as she could; hoping that any seconds she spared could make up for the time she had lost on her earlier trials.

"You've made it to the final challenge." The Shark Ranger stated as he stepped out into the courtyard, calling forth his shark sabres. "Are you ready for this Camille?"

Camille didn't answer. Instead, she just pulled out her sai and rushed the master. Back in the loft, Casey was going out of his mind.

"You can't do that!" He screamed, hoping his wife would hear him. "He's too powerful; he'll take you apart if you just rush him!"

"Casey, you have to have faith." Dominic told him. "You have to believe that everything will work out for the best."

"It's easy for you to say, I've trained with Master Finn!" Casey roared. "I know how strong he is."

"You're married to Camille." Dom said with a smile. "You know how strong she can be."

"It's not about strength Dom, she's fighting with anger, with desperation." Casey told him. "She'll make too many mistakes."

"You can only hope she'll figure that out in time." Dom responded. "Like I said, have a little faith."

Back in the temple, Gabby and Swoop struggled for position, Swoop using his superior technique and agility to outmanoeuvre the young woman. Gabby found herself being smashed to the ground with his fans.

For a second, she doubted herself; she doubted that she could win this fight. How could she hope to defeat the great Master Swoop? It was then that she got a thought. She had noticed that Swoop only dodged a little out of the way of any attack, to maintain his position. His keen senses allowed him to know exactly where any attack would land.

She powered up the Jungle Mace as much as she could, with every ounce of power she could muster, before swinging it. The end whistled past him, going nowhere near him, and so Swoop didn't bother to dodge. The concrete smashed with a tremendous explosion. Swoop dropped his fans and grabbed the sides of his head. She had used his own keen sense of hearing against him, stunning him. She had truly blinded him.

She swung the mace again into his chest, taking him to the ground, before standing over him, forcing him to yield.

"Are you alright?" Gabby asked him.

"My ears are ringing a little." He told her. "Go and claim your prize, Hummingbird Master."

Gabby turned, de-morphing as she did and surged up the steps. Very muscle ached and burned as she made her way to the top, placing her hand on the crystal. Feeling herself being sealed in place by the crystal's power, she smiled. She had passed.

Down on the ground, Camille was dashed to the floor again and again dismissively by Master Finn.

"Camille, think!" He snapped at her. "You think by rushing you will save time, but you're only wasting it! I counter you every time! You need to slow down!"

Camille stopped as he said this, and realised that he was right. He was trying to help her. Looking down at the weapons in her hands, she realised her weapons were sai, traditionally a weapon designed to disarm and disable an attacker. They were a defensive weapon.

Looking over at Finn, she smiled. The Shark Sabres were swords, the very weapon Sai had been designed to combat. Her mistake was to attack when she should have been defending.

"Come and get it Shark Master!" Camille snarled. Master Finn smiled as he heard this, before rushing to the attack. As the first blade came upward from the ground, she hooked it in the hilt of her sai, ripping it from his grip, before hitting him in the throat with the knuckle of the other, staggering him. She then rushed forward, disarming him of the other, before powering up her weapons to full power and slicing across his chest. Master Finn sank to his knees and de-morphed, looking up at her with pride as she levelled the blades at his throat.

"That was as perfect display of technique of the sai as I have ever seen." He complimented her. "You still have time, GO!"

Camille rushed, up the temple steps, de-morphing as she went. The sunlight was beginning to dim, the sun sinking beneath the tree-line.

"Oh god, it's happening again." Casey yelled, remembering being in almost exactly the same position. He could remember seeing Dom, Theo and Lily all cheering him on. He reached out, only to feel nothing but cold as the crystal stopped glowing. He felt his heart sinking as he recalled that moment.

A flash of light filled the apartment, and he looked around, seeing Gabby, Camille, Finn and Swoop standing there. Camille had tears running down her face, and sank to her knees. Casey came to her side, putting his arms around her. He didn't know what to say, but he could remember not wanting to talk when it was him in that position. He looked into her eyes, at which she smiled.

"I did it!" She whispered. His heart beat faster as he heard this, and a smile started to creep in. "I did it Casey. I doubted myself so many times, but I did it!"

He grabbed her in a tight embrace, holding her to him as exhaustion claimed her. Gabby came to Dom's side, accepting a loving kiss as the Masters beheld the scene unfolding before them. Pai Zhuq had accepted two new masters. The dynasty of the temple had just entered another chapter.


	87. The Newest Masters

It was quite late by the time the others arrived. Gabby and Camille were glad that it was a while after their trial before the ceremony, as it gave them a little time to shower, change, and of course, take stock of their injuries.

The trial was easily the hardest thing that Gabby ever had to face. As she dried herself after her shower, she sighed as she saw herself in the mirror. There were dark, red welts all over her body, many of which were already beginning to darken into bruises. She knew that this was always an inevitable consequence of the trial, and even though she knew that the aches and pains she felt right now would likely only get worse by the morning, when her adrenaline had worn off.

She was just finishing putting on her t-shirt when she heard a small knock on the door.

"I was just wondering if you were ready yet." Dom asked through the door. Gabby smiled and opened the door, letting him into the bedroom Lily had let her use to get changed. "The others are just arriving. We're about to get started."

"I just wanted to take a minute." She told him, gesturing for him to sit down. Dom accepted, sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached a hand around behind his head, and drew him to her, kissing him passionately. As she parted from him, she let out a small sigh.

"Do we really have to do this?" She asked him. "I'd rather spend my time with you."

"Gabby, you know you have to go through the ceremony tonight." He reminded her. "It's important."

"You're important to me." She replied sadly. "Dom, you know what tomorrow is as well as I do."

"It's the day Mark comes to help you move to Blue Bay." He answered, taking her hand in his. "I know that, I want to spend more time with you too, but if we don't go through with the ceremony tonight..."

"Then I won't receive my stripes." She interrupted him. "Dom, I don't care about that."

"Yes, you do." He replied, holding her warmly. "You might not right now, but it's part of who you are now. You've worked too hard for this."

"It's going to be ages before I see you again." She mumbled. "I know Blue Bay's only a few miles away, but we'll both be so busy. It's not like we'll be able to just visit each other every day."

"Well maybe not every day, but there's always holidays." He assured her. "I'll come over any time I can, and we can always e-mail..."

"It's not the same." She whispered, feeling a tear forming in her eyes. "I just wanted to spend one night with you before I left."

"Gabby, I wanted that too." He told her.

"No, you don't get it...I wanted to spend...a night...with you." She explained, looking deeply into his eyes. She drew into another long, deep kiss, making his heart beat faster. He gently pushed her away as she released him.

"Gabby, you know I want to take that step with you." He replied trying to think hard about what he wanted to say. "I really do, but I don't just want to do it because we're upset about the fact we're not going to see each other for a while."

"But..."

"Gabby, I really want to do this, you have no idea how hard it is for me to say this, it would be the easiest thing in the world for me to take that step with you." He said as he held her chin, stroking away a couple of her tears. "When we do take that step, I want us to do it right."

He held her left hand, playing with her engagement ring, causing her to laugh slightly as she felt it against her skin.

"We're in this for the long haul." He told her. "There'll be plenty of time for that. In the meantime, why don't we just enjoy the time we have left with our friends?"

"That sounds good." She replied, composing herself as much as she could. "I guess it's time to go and face our friends."

In the main room, Fran was talking with Theo and RJ, recounting her first day in her new job. She was pretty much bouncing with excitement at the thought of going back, which was just as well for Theo. He had been expecting to be in the bad books for a long time after his careless comment about her being hormonal. However, it seemed like he'd received a fortunate stay of execution in the form of the teacher Fran had talked so fondly of when she found out she'd be studying under him.

"It's so amazing, the way he talked to me; it was like I'd never left." She told them for seemingly the thousandth time as she beamed broadly. "Dr. Jennings hasn't changed a bit. He's still just the same. I felt like I was a student again when he called the class to order."

"It sounds like you really enjoyed yourself." Theo remarked, holding her hand softly. "I haven't seen you this excited in a while."

"It's just something about Dr. Jennings. I was as nervous as hell going back into the classroom." She told him. "I remember what all the kids used to be like, especially to the student teachers and the substitutes. They were merciless, but he has this way about him that really puts everyone at ease. I can't wait to go back in tomorrow."

"Well I couldn't be happier for you." RJ replied cheerfully as he rocked David in his arms, trying to get him off to sleep. "It's great that you've found something you enjoy."

"It really is." Fran stated. "Hey, look who's decided they're coming to join us!"

Gabby and Dom finally arrived in the back room, making their way over to where the others were forming a circle around them. Master Swoop, having had a little time to recover from his battle with Gabby, stepped forward, gesturing for them both to kneel before him. Master Phant watched on with pride as he pointed to Gabby.

"Gabby, if you would please step before me." He beckoned her. Gabby looked around to where Master Phant and Dom were sitting watching her, both beaming warmly. She could feel the pride radiating from them as she prepared to take her place among the legends of the temple. "Give me your right forearm."

She offered him her wrist, which he took, gently turning her arm over to leave the fleshy part of her forearm facing upwards. She bit her lip a little as his hand powered up into an energy claw, preparing nervously for the next part.

"Do you swear that you will always stand ready to serve the Pai Zhuq Temple in its time of need?" He asked her. Gabby nodded, looking into the mirrored shield of his sunglasses, wishing in some way that someone else was doing this. She knew that his pure white, sightless eyes were almost as unsettling as being unable to get to see the eyes of the person she was asked to trust. He smirked a little; making her heart beat a little faster.

"Don't worry." He whispered to her. "It only hurts for a second."

With that, he slashed his claw across her forearm. Gabby let out a small yelp as she retrieved her arm, grabbing the wrist as she felt it burn. She looked down, watching in awe as flames danced within the wound on her arm, before dying down and shifting into the form of her tattoo. As the last of the flames died off, she felt the pain subside. She looked on her new Master's mark and smiled, making her way back to her position and knelt beside Camille. The older woman looked at her and smiled slightly, nodding in a wordless gesture. They would congratulate each other properly once Camille had been through her ceremony.

"Camille, if you would please step before me." Swoop called her. As she rose and stepped forward, she looked over to where Casey was sitting. He closed his eyes and cocked his head to the side to reassure her that Holly was sleeping. She knew he was proud of her for having made it through her trial. She only had one more step to accomplish.

"The path you have taken to reach this point is a little longer than most, but your heart has always been pure." Master Swoop told her, powering his hand into the energy claw again as she presented her forearm to him. "Do you swear that you will always stand ready to serve the Pai Zhuq Temple in its time of need?"

"I will." She answered him. Swoop swiped his claw across her flesh, causing her a brief, searing pain. As the flames finally subsided, leaving the Master's mark etched into her flesh forever, Casey came to her side, putting an arm around her.

"You have both undertaken and passed the Master's Trial. You are now part of the great legacy and tradition of the Pai Zhuq Temple." Master Phant announced. He came over to Gabby, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Gabby, from this day forth you will carry the title of honour of Master Trochilidae. Carry it with pride, now and always."

Casey came over to his wife, looking deeply into her eyes.

"From this day forth, you will carry the title of Master Khamai. Carry it with pride, now and always." He told her, hugging her warmly. The others all cheered and surrounded the two latest Masters, congratulating them. Master Phant pulled Dom aside as Gabby spent time talking with Lily and Camille.

"Gabby leaves for Blue Bay Harbour tomorrow morning." He reminded the Rhino Master. "How are you both feeling?"

"It's going to be hard not seeing her every day." Dom conceded, shifting a little uneasily. "I want her to do this, it's really important to me that she accomplishes everything she wants to."

"That doesn't mean it will be easy." Master Phant replied. "I can see the way she looks at you. I know she will miss you dreadfully."

"I'll miss her too." Dom sighed. "Unless I can get some time out from the Temple, it'll probably be Christmas before I see her again."

"Under such circumstances, I would understand if you two wanted to...slip away for a little while." He told him. "It's best you spend what little time you have left together."

"Master Phant..."

"Why don't you walk her home?" He asked Dominic, interrupting him. "Mark will be picking her up from her parent's house tomorrow morning. It'll be a big day for her; she really should get some rest."

"I guess that's true." Dominic replied. "Besides, it'll be a while before they see her again as well. I'm sure they'd appreciate spending a little time with her."

"Come, we'll just make your excuses." Master Phant told him. "It's about time you were taking Master Trochilidae home."

The following day, Dom was gently shaken awake, finding George, Gabby's father looking down on him. After taking her home, he had spent a little while with her and her parents, allowing them a little time together before her departure. Dom had been invited to sleep over on their couch.

"Deborah's just putting the finishing touches on breakfast." He told him. "Blueberry pancakes, its Gabby's favourite."

"That sounds perfect George." He replied, pulling the blanket off himself and sitting up, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he came to. "How is the packing going?"

"Slowly." He chuckled. "Gabby takes me when it comes to packing. Leave everything to the last minute, and then spend half the morning figuring out what you're actually going to need."

"I guess I should help her." He commented. "I've travelled so much, I know more than a little about packing."

"That would probably be a good idea." Gabby commented as she came down the stairs. She had showered and dressed, though she hadn't taken her usual level of care over her appearance, since she knew she was just looking forward to a couple of hour's drive in a little under an hour. She perked up a little as she smelled something from the kitchen. "Is that...?"

"Blueberry pancakes, fresh Columbian coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice." Her father interrupted her, holding her closely and kissing her forehead as she hugged him. "Your favourites, just the way you like them. Nothing's too good for my little girl."

"Dad, please stop that." She giggled as her mother brought in a tray from the kitchen. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

"I know, but you'll always be our little girl to us." Deborah reminded her, serving up a couple of pancakes and handing the plate to Gabby. "Even if you have grown into a fine young woman, we'll always think of you as the little girl we brought home all those years ago."

"I sometimes wonder where all the years have gone." George commented. "It seems like only yesterday I walked you to your first day of school. Now look at you, all grown up into a beautiful young woman and heading off to university. I'm really going to miss you."

With that, she hugged both her parents passionately, a few tears coming to her eyes as she prepared to face her future. Just then the doorbell went.

"I guess that'll be the others here to see me off." Gabby stated as she got up. "I'll be back in a while."

Dom poured himself some maple syrup, and started on his pancakes as Gabby's parents turned back to their own breakfast. Deborah poured them all coffee.

"Mark!" Deborah screamed as Gabby led the massive hockey player into the room. She kissed his cheek in an enthusiastic greeting. "It's been too long, how is Blue Bay Harbour?"

"It took a while to get used to, but Coach Brooks helped me get my bearings." He answered as he was handed a glass of OJ. "I managed to get us an apartment in a decent area of town. Kelly said she's looking forward to getting a new employee."

"You work there too?" George asked him. He nodded.

"Coach Brooks talked her into giving me a job." He informed them. "He even managed to corrupt me into trying out Motocross. I head down to the track about twice a week now."

"Well at least we know that Gabby will have someone she knows there to make the transition easier." Deborah told him. "You have no idea how much of a comfort that is."

"So Gabby tells me you're going to be staying with another student." Dom chipped in. "So what's he like?"

"His name's Stephen, he's on the Hockey team too, that's how we met." Mark informed him with a kind of telling grin on his face. "He's a great centre forward. He's there on a culinary course; he wants to become a chef one day."

"Do I detect that there's a little something going on there?" Gabby asked him, teasing him a little. A small blush crept into Mark's cheeks as he nodded.

"We've been going out for a couple of months now." He told her. "We got together a little after I arrived. The team there's really cool with it. It took a little while for mom and dad to get used to him, but they can see he makes me happy. They both like him; in fact, dad's taking us both fishing at the weekend. Stephen promised to teach him how cook fish over an open fire."

"It sounds like things have really worked out for you." Dom remarked. "I'm really glad."

"So am I." He replied with a smile. "I can't wait to introduce you to him."

"I just need to finish packing." Gabby replied, finishing the last of her pancakes. "Sorry to rush out, but Mark wanted to miss the rush hour traffic."

"I'll just put some coffee in a thermos for you, would you like some too Mark?" Deborah asked as she went back to the kitchen.

"That would be amazing, thank you." He replied politely as Dom and Gabby went upstairs to finish her packing. He took a couple of pancakes and started eating them as a polite gesture, despite having eaten before he left Blue Bay. "I never say no to coffee."

The doorbell sounded again, causing them to look around.

"I guess that's the rest of Gabby's friends now." George stated, making his way to the door. "I'll get it."

A short time later, Mark and Dom were loading her bags onto Tori's van. Mark had convinced her to lend it to him for the day to help her move to the new City. Gabby began her tearful goodbyes.

"Have a great time there Gabby." Lily said gently, hugging her with one arm, her other cradling David. "I want you to write to me all the time and let me know what a good time you're having."

"I promise I will." Gabby replied tearfully, saying goodbye to the first real friend she'd ever made. She took David from her, holding him gently and playing with his nose, causing him to gurgle contentedly. "You be good for your mommy little guy. I'm really going to miss you."

She turned to Camille and tickled Holly under the chin as she started to protest.

"Of course I'll miss you too little lady." She whispered to the girl. "By the time I visit next, I'm sure you'll be walking around and talking your mommy's ear off. I know you've already managed a few words."

She moved over to RJ, looking up to him warmly.

"Thanks for everything you've done for me." She told him, hugging the Wolf Master tightly.

"You helped me out a lot too." RJ replied. "Take care of yourself."

"Guys, I really don't know what to say. There's a part of me that doesn't want to go." She told them all, looking among her friends. Her gaze finally landed on Fran. She gestured to her, pulling her in for a tight hug as she saw her friend's tears. Fran had been one of her closest friends since she had arrived at JKP. The two of them had spent so much time together working at JKP, that they had a deep affection for one another.

"I know you'll do great out there." Fran sobbed, holding her tightly. "You know how to reach me, don't you dare be a stranger."

"I'll keep in touch as long as you promise to tell me the minute the little guy's born." Gabby warned her. "I want to know all the details the minute he arrives."

"I promise." Fran assured her. "Take care of her Mark."

"Hey, with this group I know it's more than my life's worth to let anything happen to her." Mark chuckled as he finished loading the last of her bags into the van, shutting the hatch. "Anyway, it's almost time we were going."

Dom came over to her, taking her hands in his. He looked into her eyes, trying hard not to begin crying himself.

"Take care of yourself." Dom told her. "I'll try to come down in a couple of weeks to see how you're settling in."

"I promise I'll call as often as I can." She told him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied, kissing her once more. She turned away from him, wiping away her tears as she got into the van. Mark got into the driver's seat next to her, before leaning out the window.

"I promise I'll drive carefully." He assured them. "See you later Dom!"

With that, he pulled out of the driveway as all of her friends waved her off. Theo put his arm around Fran.

"Come on, it's about time I was getting you to work." He told her. "I doubt Ms. Tennant would love it if you were late on only your second day in the job."

"I doubt Ms. Tennant loves anything much." Fran grumbled. "I guess I can get something to pick me up at the school."

They left the yard, at which RJ turned to them.

"JKP's closed today; I've got a long day interviewing potential staff members." He told them. "The first of them should be arriving around lunchtime, so if David here agrees, then maybe we can all get a little more rest before the first interview."

"Well I have no such luxuries." Casey sighed. "I need to open the gym. I'll see all of you guys later."

"Buh-bye!" Holly squeaked, waving her hand a little as they walked away.

The Masters nodded wordlessly to Master Phant, before turning and walking away. George put his arm around his brother and Deborah came to their side as they looked longingly down the road after Gabby. Dom wiped a couple of tears from his eyes.

"She'll be fine." Master Phant assured his brother and her fiancé. "She's amazing."

"Did she make it?" George asked him. Master Phant smiled and nodded.

"She did indeed." He replied.

"You know?" Dom asked them. Deborah and George both nodded.

"So what's her title?" Deborah asked him.

"Master Trochilidae." Dom answered.

"Well I'm glad our little Hummingbird grew up to be so strong." George said happily. "I just wish more of it was down to us."

"She still doesn't know I told you about us." Master Phant reminded them. "I thought it was best you knew in case there were awkward questions, but you understand that I've broken an important tradition in telling you."

"We won't say anything; we know how important this has to have been to you if you never told us for this long. We're just glad we finally know why you live up in that little hut." Deborah commented. "I still can't believe our little girl was a superhero."

"No, she wasn't." Dom said with a proud grin on his face. "She still is."


	88. A New City

Fran yawned loudly as she arrived in Dr. Jenning's classroom a little before the first class was due to start. Unlike the first day, the furniture was all in its normal place. Poetry books were already sitting on the desks, waiting for the students. Fran rubbed her weary eyes as she went to the desk that she used to sit at, looking at the book. She smiled as she realised it was the same book they studied when she was a student.

"The classics never change, so why should my textbooks?" Dr. Jennings asked as he arrived in the room, pouring some coffee from a flask into his cup. "Well, that's the way the education department thinks. The Basketball team's had new uniforms almost every year for the last six years, but they can't buy a few 20 dollar text books."

"They're putting sports before academics." Fran Scoffed as she yawned again. "Some things never change. I guess they're chasing all the sponsorships the sports teams earn."

"You look pretty beat." He commented. "Did the little cherub keep you up?"

"Not quite, one of my friends, Gabby, went to Ocean Bluff this morning." Fran informed him, reaching for the flask. He pulled it away, causing her to look up at him curiously. "I was up early to see her off."

"A woman in your condition should probably avoid the coffee." He commented, making his way back into his cupboard. "I have some Camomile teabags in here. My ex-wife swore by them."

"Ex?" She asked him. "I didn't know you were married."

"It's a long and sorry tale, one that ended before I started working here." He replied as he came back with a kettle and some teabags, putting the kettle on for her. "Gabby, would that be Gabby Wallace by any chance?"

"It is." She replied.

"Oh yes, I remember her, she did rather well last semester." He commented, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "So she's off to Ocean Bluff is she?"

"She is, she's starting a law degree soon." Gabby informed him. Dr. Jennings just laughed.

"That's just what the world needs, another bloody lawyer." He stated as the first of his students started to come into the room. "Everyone take your seats. Today I want to introduce you to the wonderful world of poetry."

"Why do we have to do all this stupid poetry stuff?" One of the girls at the front of the class asked him. "It's so boring!"

Fran poured herself some tea and just sat with a little smirk on her face as she heard this. The one thing that Dr. Jennings always reacted to was when someone called poetry boring. It was one of the things he was truly passionate about.

"Boring?" He asked her incredulously. "Boring? How could anyone consider poetry boring? It is the very essence of passion and emotion. The content of a person's heart leaps off the page with the written word. Read correctly, the writer's heart is an open book."

"Who will you look like?" Dr. Jennings began, pointing to Fran's belly. He smiled as he looked at her. She knew he was trying to make a point to his student, and he was looking to Fran for inspiration. "How will you be?"

"Will you look like Daddy or me?" Fran added, recalling the poem he had taught her. It now meant a lot more to her now.

"Ten little fingers and ten little toes, a wrinkled up forehead and a cute button nose." He continued to recite as he came over to her placing his hand gently on her stomach. "You will be crying with that first cold touch."

"And so will I because I love you so much." She completed the poem. By now the whole class was looking at them with their mouths open in awe.

"___Wendy Dahlke_." Dr. Jennings told them as he turned back to the room. "Who says poetry is boring? Now, would you all like to turn to page 18?"

The students all opened their books to the appropriate page as Fran took a seat and started to drink her tea while she observed the class. Dr. Jennings had won over yet more cynics in his usual, eccentric way. It was almost exactly how he had won over her class. She put a hand on her stomach and smiled. She loved that poem, and now she would have yet another reason to love it.

A little after midday, Gabby and Mark pulled into the parking lot outside the apartment building they were going to be sharing during her time at university. He sounded the horn as he came to a stop, at which a man around the same age as them came out of the building. He was almost as tall as Mark, and impressively toned, though he wasn't quite as heavily built as him. He had jet black hair, styled into a flat-top, and sideburns. He was wearing a tight, grey T-shirt and faded blue jeans. He ran over to Mark, greeting him with a tight hug.

"Gabby, this is Stephen, the other guy who'll be sharing the apartment with us." Mark informed her.

"Oh right, the chef." Gabby replied, shaking his hand. Mark had explained that Stephen was on the hockey team with him, and that he would be attending Ocean Bluff University with them on a culinary course. He had also explained that they had started going out a couple of months ago. "Mark told me all about you."

"Nothing bad I hope." He laughed, grabbing a couple of her cases. "Hope you have fun here in Blue Bay Harbour."

"I'm hoping I do too." She replied. "I heard this town pretty much lives and breathes on X-games."

"You heard right." Stephen told her as he guided her up the stairs to the top floor. "Sorry about the stairs, the elevator's on the frits right now. The building superintendent has it in his maintenance log, but there's stuff on there that has been for years."

"You've lived here for a while?" Gabby asked him. Stephen nodded as he pulled out his key, unlocking the door. "The apartment used to be my uncle's, but he retired and headed out to Miami for the better fishing. He let me move in here after my parents kicked me out. He offered me a good price for it."

"Oh, sorry...I didn't mean..."

"Don't worry about it, its old news." Stephen said, waving off her apology. "Mom and dad weren't as understanding as Mark's when they found out about my preferences. My dad thought more about his church than me, so he made me wait outside while he got my cases together."

He showed her inside, and Gabby marvelled at the apartment. It was almost as large as RJ's apartment over the restaurant. Stephen had decorated it with a couple of large, leather recliners and sofas. A large, flat-screen TV and Nintendo Wii sat opposite them. The entire apartment had been painted in bright colours, depicting a beach scene. The kitchenette had huge worktop areas of black marble, and gleaming stainless steel kitchen appliances hung over it.

"Did I happen to mention my boyfriend's loaded?" Mark asked her with a smile as he came in with another couple of cases.

"I'd definitely say you've hit the jackpot." Gabby said as Stephen put his arm around Mark and kissed his cheek.

"My grandfather left me a big trust fund." He told her. "I bought this place from my uncle shortly after it matured."

"So what's the rent arrangement?" Gabby asked him.

"Hey, just put some money into the pot for bills and groceries once in a while and I'll call it quits." Stephen told her. "Any friend of Mark's is a friend of mine. Feel free to consider this your home."

"So where's my room?" She asked him. Stephen pointed to a door a little way off.

"The guest room's over there." He informed her. "There's plenty of storage space. It's been a while since I've had a tenant."

"I'll put my stuff away later." She told them as she dumped her cases in her room. "I'm sure Tori would appreciate it if I got her van back to her, and I need to find out when my first shift is."

"Tori? Do you mean Tori Hanson?" Stephen asked her, with a note of excitement in his voice. He pointed to a couple of surfboards in the corner. "I love her work! I only ever surf on her boards!"

"He tried to get me into surfing, but Coach Brooks has me hooked on motocross." Mark told her. "Trust me; anyone in this town under 70 is into an extreme sport of some kind."

"I'm starting to realise that." Gabby replied with a chuckle. "Come on Mark, you still need to show me where Storm Chargers is."

"Ok, I'll see you tonight Stephen!" He called back to his boyfriend as they started to leave.

"You better, I'm making my famous Thai green curry!" He called back.

"You always did know how to pull my strings." He answered with a grin. "You know that's my favourite."

"Don't be too late!" Stephen said. "Welcome to Blue Bay Harbour Gabby."

"Thanks." She yelled from the door. "I have a feeling I'm going to like it here."

Back in Ocean Bluff, the day wore on, as Dr. Jennings took the seniors through the finer points of Edgar Allen Poe's classic, "The Raven." They were all so engrossed by his reading that everyone in the room jumped in fright as the bell rung, indicating it was time for lunch.

"We'll pick it up again tomorrow." He told them. "As your assignment for the night is to read the remainder of the poem and write some notes on your thoughts of the imagery and themes involved."

The students got up and left the room, scurrying from the room so quickly, they resembled a stampede. Fran stood well back to avoid the crush.

"Lunchtime is one of only two times of the day the students move quickly." Dr. Jennings commented, pouring himself some more coffee. "The other is home time."

"I remember feeding time at the zoo." Fran chuckled. "I'm glad the staff gets served in the faculty lounge. It'll save waiting in line for the scrapings from the bottom of the tins."

"I was never a huge fan of the canteen food, but today is the exception." Dr. Jennings told her. "Today is lasagne day."

"Oh, I am so there!" She commented, gathering her bag. "My son has a major pasta craving!"

"I'll be along in a little while." Dr. Jennings told her. "I just need to prepare for the freshmen class this afternoon. I have a feeling giving me a double period with them before I go home is the principal's way of trying to get me to quit."

"She doesn't know you very well then, does she?" Fran asked him. "I'll see you in the faculty lounge."

As Fran made her way into the hall, she never saw a young freshman girl running down the hall, more interested in getting to the canteen than looking where she was going. She slammed into Fran, sending both of them tumbling to the floor.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She shrieked, seeing Fran resting against the lockers, straightening her glasses. Fran hadn't had a freshmen class yet, and so hadn't met the girl. However news spread quickly around the school, and so she knew who Fran was. "Oh my God, are you alright? The baby..."

"I'm fine." Fran told her, pulling herself back to her feet. The girl struggled a little to get to her knees. Fran offered her a hand, which she accepted. Her brows furrowed as she saw the girl wince in pain. She was sure that she had taken the worst of the hit. The girl pulled her arm into herself, cradling her ribs as she finally got back to her feet.

"Are you alright?" Fran asked her. The girl nodded in response. She was a little taller than Fran, with light brown hair that extended down to her shoulders. She was wearing white jeans, which were now a little messy as a result of her fall onto the floor, and a deep crimson, baggy sweatshirt, bearing the school logo on the chest. Her deep brown eyes continued to view Fran with concern.

"I must have caught your elbow on the way down." She responded as she bent down to pick up her bag. Fran noticed again that she appeared to be in pain as she picked up the bag, hefting it onto her shoulder. "I'll be alright."

"Maybe you should go to the nurse." Fran suggested, getting a little concerned about her. She was sure that she had taken the worst of the hit. She was certain that she had not hit the girl anywhere near the ribs as they fell, and she seemed to land a fair way from anything that would have hit her chest.

"No, it's alright I'll be fine." She rushed out. "I'm sorry about this. You are alright aren't you?"

"I'm fine." Fran assured her. "What's your name?"

"I'm Olivia, but all my friends call me Liv." She replied, stroking some hair out of her face. "Well, they would if I had any friends, but I don't so I guess..."

"Breathe Liv." Fran chuckled, taking a little amusement in how much the young girl reminded her of how she used to be at her age. She could hardly look her in the eye, and babbled in a barely coherent manner whenever someone spoke to her. She wrapped her arms around herself, as though preparing for an attack. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"Not really." She replied. "I should probably be going..."

"Is everything alright here?" Ms. Tennant asked, arriving on the scene. Fran could see that Liv was scared of the potential fallout from this. She knew it was an accident, though the principal had made it abundantly clear that she hated kids, and regularly took any excuse to throw them into detention.

"Everything's fine here." Fran told her, protecting Liv from the fallout of Ms. Tennant finding out she had knocked her over. After all, she knew it was an accident. "I was just taking the chance to get to know one of my freshmen students."

"Ms. Jenkins, the lunch bell has sounded; I suggest you get to the canteen before you miss out on service." Ms. Tennant stated, looking a little disappointed that she didn't get the chance to punish her for anything. "Mrs. Martin, I'll see you in the faculty lounge."

As Ms. Tennant left, Liv turned back to Fran and flashed her a nervous little smile, exposing heavy braces.

"Thanks for that." She said, looking more to her chest than into Fran's face. "My mom and dad would have killed me if I got detention."

"Hey, it was an accident. I was pretty accident prone when I was a kid." She replied. "Well, I guess I still am, but the point is I know you didn't mean it."

"I better get going." Liv replied. "Thanks again."

As Fran watched her go, she couldn't help feeling like there was a lot more to her story, than she knew. Dr. Jennings arrived behind her, sipping another mug of coffee.

"Fran, I thought you'd be in the faculty lounge by now." He commented. "Come on, I need to introduce you to the joys of the Friday lunchtime poker game."

Back in Blue Bay harbour, Gabby and Mark arrived in Storm Chargers, finding the place filled with customers, all buying equipment in preparation for the weekend. Tori noticed them and came over from the corner of the room, hugging Gabby warmly.

"I see you've made it." She gushed, releasing her. "Welcome to Blue Bay Harbour."

"Thanks Tori." She responded with a grin, looking around. "I see you're busy."

"Well there's usually always a bit of a rush on near the end of the month." She told her. "The big swell season starts soon, so I'm expecting a lot more sales of my boards soon."

"Thanks for lending us the van." Mark stated, handing her back the keys. "I filled it up like I promised. It's outside."

"I knew I could count on you." Tori replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Let me just show you around and introduce you to some of the local characters."

She led her over to the skating section, pointing everything out.

"We get a lot of skaters in here; we have one of the most extensive collections of boards in town." She informed Gabby. "If anyone asks you anything you can't answer, this is the man to talk to, meet my good friend Shane Clarke."

"Hey, you must be the new girl Tori's been telling us about." Shane greeted her with a handshake.

"Gabby." She responded. She leant into Tori as she took note of his clothes and whispered in her ear. "By any chance was he your Red?"

"He was indeed." Tori replied. "She's friends with the Ocean Bluff team."

"Oh right, RJ's crew." Shane commented. "Well there are a couple of others from our old crew, over by the motocross section."

"We have my husband Blake, and his brother Hunter Bradley in the crimson T-shirt. Of course you've met Dustin." Tori introduced each of them in turn.

"Tori's told me all about you." Blake responded, shaking her hand. "She said you were coming out here to study. The little girl over by the surfing section is our little girl Sally. I really want to get her into riding, but Tori insists she isn't to get anything with an engine until she's a lot older."

"It's great to see you again." Dustin greeted her with a hug. "You've landed on your feet moving in with Stephen and Mark. Their apartment's amazing! Not to mention Stephen's cooking is just to die for!"

"Hunter." The former Crimson Ranger introduced himself. "So are you into any of this stuff?"

"Not really, I've never really had a chance to get into anything like that." She told them. "I'm starting to feel a little left out here."

"Well you've got the best factory pro in the country to teach you if you want to take up motocross." Blake told her with no false modesty. "Not to mention one of the best free-style riders I've seen in Dustin. Hunter's not bad either."

"Hey!" He protested.

"I'm trying to convince her to give it a go." Mark chipped in.

"Oh come on, stop ganging up on the poor girl." Kelly reprimanded them as she came over, giving Hunter a kiss. "I guess you're my new employee. I'm Kelly. I see you've already met my husband."

"Mark was just showing me around." Gabby replied. "So when do you want me to start?"

"Well I expect to be busy tomorrow. How about you start tomorrow morning?" Kelly asked her. "In the meantime, there is one minor problem I'd like you to sort out."

"What problem?" Gabby asked her nervously. Kelly just smiled at her.

"This is an action sport's store. People feel more comfortable if they feel like the sales people know what they're talking about." She responded. "Besides, it'll be fun. I have plenty of stuff in the back I can lend you."

"I could probably find a wetsuit and a surfboard I could lend you." Tori said hopefully, trying to sway Gabby to her chosen pursuit.

"We're meant to be going back to Stephen's for dinner, I don't know if I'll have time to get to the beach and back by then." Gabby told her. "Maybe another day?"

"Well the skate park's just around the corner." Shane suggested. "I could give you some pointers."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure about skating." Gabby replied. "I'm kind of thinking I want to try motocross."

The motocross crew all cheered as they realised they had converted yet another to their cause. Tori just shook her head in a defeated manner.

"We lost another one to the track." She said with a small pout, putting her arm around Shane.

"At least you have Sally; I'm the only skater in the group." Shane reminded her.

"Hunter, why don't you take Gabby to the track for a little while?" Kelly suggested. She looked at her thoughtfully for a second. "I think my armour should fit you, and I have a 125 in the back I can lend you."

"That would be great." Gabby responded.

"Come on, Mark and I will take you out there." Hunter replied, taking the car keys from Kelly. "I'll have the bike loaded up by the time you're dressed."

Back in Ocean Bluff, the freshmen class had just let out at the end of the day. Fran had spent a lot of the class, paying attention to Liv. Just like Fran at her age, she was incredibly bright. She barely talked, or even looked at anyone, but whenever Fran forced her to talk by asking her a direct question about the text they were studying, she showed a remarkable understanding for the work.

She watched out of the window as Liv approached a car, making her way slowly towards a man in a suit, presumably her father. She couldn't tell what was being said, but from the body language, she could tell that there was some kind of confrontation going on. Liv hung her head low as the man gestured wildly to her stained white jeans. Fran felt a little bad as she saw her getting into the back seat slowly, before the door was slammed shut behind her.

"What's the story with Liv?" Fran asked Dr. Jennings as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

"I really don't know." He replied, taking a long sip. "Her dad's a partner in one of the city's biggest law firms, I know that much."

"Her surname's Jenkins." Fran recalled. "As in Bernstein, Jenkins and Smith?"

"That would be the one." Dr. Jennings confirmed. "She doesn't talk much, which is a shame. You saw yourself how bright she is. She kind of reminds me of someone not too far from here."

"I kind of got that too." Fran replied with a small laugh. She yawned as Dr. Jennings went into the storage cupboard to collect his belongings. Her exhaustion was beginning to tell on her again given her early start. Looking to his flask, she shrugged.

"He won't mind." She said to herself gently. She poured herself a cup, and took a long gulp, before starting to cough loudly as she choked. A warm, harsh flavour caught the back of her throat, causing her to almost gag. Dr. Jennings came back to find her looking at him in shock.

"Dr. Jennings?" She asked him weakly as she finally composed herself, handing him the cup. "This is Irish coffee."

"I didn't want you to drink that." He sighed as he realised she had found out what he had been hiding for years. "I never would have wanted you to risk harming the baby."

"Dr. Jennings, you're drinking in school!" Fran exclaimed quietly, getting as much emphasis into her voice as she could without risking anyone passing outside hearing her. "This coffee's full of whisky."

"What can I say? It gets me through the day." Dr. Jennings muttered as he saw the look of disappointment in her eyes. She was by far the brightest pupil he had ever taught, and he was infinitely proud of her. He hated to think that she was ashamed of him.

"Dr. Jennings, this can't go on." She told him sternly. "You can't just drink your problems away. The problem with drowning your sorrows is sooner or later they learn to swim."

"It's all I've had for a long time." He told her. "I know I shouldn't do it, but..."

"Dr. Jennings, you mean so much to me, I can't watch you do this to yourself." She implored him as she struggled to keep from crying. "My dad drank himself to death. The last time I saw my mom I told her I never want to see her again until she gets clean. I know what drink can do to someone, I can't just watch you do this."

"If Ms. Tennant finds out she'll fire me." He replied. "If I couldn't teach anymore..."

"I promise I won't tell anyone, but you have to let me help you stop drinking." She told him. "If you won't do this for yourself, please, do it for me?"

"I promise I'll try." He told her. "Thank you Fran."

"Don't thank me yet." She told him. "It's not going to be easy, but I promise you I'll help. Just...do me one favour alright?"

"What would that be?" Dr. Jennings asked her.

"Promise me you won't drive home?" She asked him.

"I don't even own a car anymore." He informed her. Fran hugged him, before turning and leaving the school. She couldn't believe how much things had changed for her. Dr. Jennings had been one of the most stable adult influences in her life, he was one of the reasons she had never given up during the dark years, now though he had fallen so far from what she remembered. He was no longer the shining beacon of humanity she looked up to and worshipped as a young woman. He was so much less, he was human.


	89. Liv

The sun was beginning to set as Gabby blasted around the last corner of the track, skidding to a halt a little way in front of Dustin. She ripped off her helmet and her face mask.

"Man that was a rush!" She yelled excitedly as she shook her hair loose. "I can't believe I've never done this before!"

"I think we have another convert." Hunter said to Blake as they greeted her with warm hugs, ignoring the fact she was splattered with mud. Even the fact their respective wives would tear strips off them for causing extra laundry was in no way a dampener to the prospect of corrupting someone else into the Blue Bay cult of motocross. "You were amazing!"

"Please, it's my first time out." She said with a small blush. "The others were blasting past me."

"You're too hard on yourself." Blake assured her. "Some of these guys have been riding for years."

"Besides, you beat some of them, those guys for instance." Hunter told her, gesturing to some guys a little way off. "I've been teaching some of them for months, and they still can't beat a three minute lap."

"You beat them on your first time out." Dustin said with a huge grin. "You have a gift."

"I've never done anything like this before. It felt amazing!" She screamed as she looked hopefully to the track. "Is there time to go round again?"

"I think Stephen would object if he burned the curry." Mark told her, putting an arm around her. "The track will still be here at the weekend."

"We'd be more than happy to help you shave a few seconds off your lap time." Blake assured her. "For a start you get way too much air on your jumps."

"To be honest I kind of like that." Gabby replied. "It feels right, my Hummingbird Spirit feels at home there."

"Oh please don't tell me we're losing her to your lot now." Hunter begged Dustin, seeing the somewhat childish glee in his expression. "She could be a great racer, she..."

"I think it's a little late for that." Dustin told him. "Gabby, there is another path in motocross. I'll give you and Mark a ride back to Stephen's place. In the meantime, let me tell you a little about the wonderful world of Freestyle."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Fran arrived back after her shift, letting herself into the apartment. Theo was already preparing dinner for her.

"Dinner will just be a few minutes." He assured her.

"That sounds great, I could use something." She told him, making her way into the bathroom. "Could you call me when it's ready?"

She pulled a bottle of scotch out of her bag, holding it at length like it was diseased. It had taken so much from her. Her own father had abused her relentlessly because of his problem. Her mother had tortured her and abandoned her because of the drink. Now, it threatened to take one of the strongest, kindest people she'd ever known.

Twisting off the cap, she poured it down the sink, before turning on the tap to rinse it away. She had found one of Dr. Jenning's bottles, and had taken it away for his own good. She still couldn't believe that he had managed to hide his problem for so long.

"Fran, would you like a salad with the lasagne?" Theo called in to her. Fran hadn't heard him. She was too busy staring at the bottle with a sense of dread and loathing. Despite her parents' problems with alcohol, she had been able to enjoy it without excess. She knew how destructive an influence it could be, but ever since she was little, since she could understand what the stench of fermented hops on her father's breath as he beat her meant, she knew exactly how much harm it could do.

"Fran!" He yelled again, knocking the door a little louder so that she could hear him. "Would you like a salad?"

"Yeah, that would be great." She answered. Theo was a little less than satisfied though. He could tell something was wrong with her, even when he couldn't see her. He could tell by the tone of her voice.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her.

"Everything's fine Theo." She replied. She heard him walk away, and glared back to the bottle, hating what it had done to the man who had meant so much to her during her youth. "At least, I hope it is."

The next day, Theo was woken up by the alarm clock, finding Fran already awake and washing up for the day ahead.

Coming to the bathroom, he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"How are you both?" He asked her.

"Junior gave me a restful night for once." She whispered, kissing his cheek. "He wasn't too active last night."

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"I'll be alright once I've had something to eat." She told him. "Would you mind?"

"Anything for the two of you." He said, cradling her belly warmly. "What would you like?"

"Just a little toast thanks." Fran told him. As Theo left to prepare the breakfast she sat on the toilet and held her head in her hands. She had no idea how, or even if she could deal with this, but Dr. Jennings meant so much to her, she knew she had to try.

"I still can't believe you have to go in and work on a Saturday." He commented. "Why are you going in again?"

"Dr. Jennings wanted a hand putting together a field trip in a couple of weeks." She informed him. "He's a great teacher, but his organisational skills leave a lot to be desired."

This was partly true. Fran had indeed been asked to help him sort out the appropriate paperwork for a field trip to a nearby theatre to catch a recital. Of course there was also something else. This was to be the first day that Dr. Jennings tried to go without drinking, and she wanted to be there for moral support.

"You know that school really doesn't deserve you." He told her. "Would you like a ride to the school?"

"Thanks, but it's a nice day. I think I'd rather walk." She told him. "What are you doing?"

"Susan has a doctor's appointment or something." He informed her. "I'm minding the Rock Porium this morning."

"Just try not to work too hard." Fran told him. "I'll see you later."

Over in Blue Bay harbour, Gabby arrived at Storm Chargers, finding Kelly beginning to set up the store.

"Hey, you're early." She commented. "I wish all my employees were this eager."

"I just wanted to come in a little early to get used to where everything is." Gabby told her. "Thanks for lending me that equipment last night. I had a blast."

"Hunter told me that you enjoyed yourself. He said you were busting out some pretty good lap times." Kelly informed her as she took her over to the cash register. "You worked at JKP, so I guess you know how to work a register right?"

"Yeah, I think this is the same system." She answered, checking the register. "So when do you open?"

"We normally open around 9:30." She replied with a shrug. "One thing you'll quickly learn about the X-games crowd is that they're not exactly early risers."

"So you're really cool to give me shifts?" Gabby asked her.

"Hey, it's coming to the start of the season." Kelly reminded her. "You can have as many shifts as you like."

"Well that's probably going to be a good thing." Gabby replied. "I'm really trying to earn my own way through university. Besides, if I am going to start hitting the track more often, I suppose it's best I start getting myself some equipment."

"Well it's good to see that you enjoyed yourself." Kelly said with a grin. "You can keep borrowing that stuff in the back until you scrape together enough for your own bike. In the meantime, let's discuss the best thing about this job, employee discount."

"I like the sound of that." Gabby replied.

Fran arrived at the school, finding the caretaker dragging Liv out of the school by the arm.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Fran asked him.

"I found this student in the corridors." He told her. "She knows that students aren't allowed on the grounds out with class times. I was just going to take her to..."

"Liv, you're early, I told you that I'd meet you out here." Fran interrupted him.

"You knew about this?" He asked her.

"Liv was kind enough to agree to help myself and Dr. Jennings with some filing." Fran lied, giving a little wink to Liv to indicate that she was covering for her. "I couldn't find where Dr. Jennings keeps his hall passes, so I was going to bring her in myself."

"Just make sure she had a hall pass in future." He said grumpily, releasing her. Liv just rubbed her arm where he had been holding her. "She can go."

He walked away, leaving Fran and Liv alone. The young freshman looked up to Fran and smiled.

"Thanks for that." She told her nervously. "My dad would have gone ballistic if I'd gotten suspended."

"Why were you here in the first place?" Fran asked her. "You know better than to be in the building at the weekend. If Ms. Tennant had gotten to you before I did..."

"I left my English textbook in my locker." She informed the older woman. "I need it to do my assignment this weekend. If I'd gotten a disciplinary for not doing it..."

"It's alright; I'll take you to your locker." Fran assured her, leading her back into the building. "It's probably best you stay in the class with me and Dr. Jennings for a little while. If the caretaker thinks I lied to him, he'll probably report you."

"Thanks for this, I really appreciate it." Liv replied, making her way down the hall with her. Fran noticed that her posture was hunched, and she was noticeably limping.

"Liv, I saw you having an argument with your dad yesterday." She commented. "It looked a little heated."

"Dad's just a bit of a neat freak." She said quietly as they arrived by the locker. "He was upset about me messing up my jeans."

"Are you sure that's all that happened?" Fran asked her, a little concerned for the girl's welfare. "I mean your jeans weren't messed up that badly."

"Trust me, to my dad things like that are a big deal." Liv told her, pulling the textbook out of her locker. "He's all about image. He once screamed at me for an hour because I didn't tidy my bedroom before he brought around some business clients."

"Why didn't he just close the door?" She asked. "I mean how likely was it one of them was going to end up in your room?"

"He said that wasn't the point." Liv told her as they arrived in the classroom. Dr. Jennings looked up from his desk, a little confused.

"Liv? What are you doing here?" He asked her. "Never let it be said I discourage independent learning, but you know you aren't meant to be in the school after hours."

"As far as the caretaker's aware she's helping us with the filing." Fran informed him. "Given the state of your filing cabinet, we probably could do with the help."

"I really should get started on this essay." Liv told them, taking a seat in the corner. "It shouldn't take me long."

"Well just let us know if you need any help." Dr. Jennings told her. "We'll just be going over some paperwork."

Fran came over to Dr. Jennings, taking a stack of forms from him.

"How was your night?" She asked him. He held up a hand, showing her that it was shaking a little.

"It wasn't the most pleasant experience of my life." He informed her. "I managed to avoid being tempted."

"So how long have you been drinking?" She asked him. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the forms.

"It started a little before my divorce." He told her. "It was one of the reasons my wife left me. She had always tried to encourage me to be more ambitious and do something more than just teaching. She was frustrated that I didn't seem to be trying to improve myself. We just started fighting more and more. Eventually I just started to drink a little more regularly to drown out all the arguments. Eventually she couldn't watch me destroying myself any longer."

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Fran said sympathetically. "You know I'll be here if things ever get hard."

"That really means a lot to me." He told her. "I don't know if I can do this on my own."

"Well at least you're willing to try." Fran told him.

"Why do you care so much?" He asked her.

"That's why." She replied nodding in Liv's direction, to where the young student was beginning to write out her essay. "I don't think you realise how much you mean to a lot of the students you've taught over the years. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age. You were one of the few people who actually cared about me."

"I really wish I had more students like you and Liv." He replied, remembering fondly the time she was his student. "You know, she is such a bright kid, I really just wish she was a little more confident."

"I guess that's something we could try and work on." Fran told him. "I really see a lot in her. She could go on to do whatever she wants to."

"You really are amazing." He said with a warm smile on his face. "I don't think that baby could be any luckier than having you for a mom."

"You know, maybe we should take a little break." Fran suggested. "These forms will still be here when we get back. Hey Liv, do you fancy going for something to eat?"

"That sounds great!" She called back.

"I know a great place nearby. Do you like pizza?" She asked as they gathered their things together.

"Who doesn't?" Liv asked in response.

"Just leave your stuff there; we can come back for it." Fran told her. "Come on, it's my treat."

Over in Blue Bay harbour, Gabby was hard at work, guiding the customers through their purchases. Kelly patted her on the back as she rang up another sale.

"I can't believe how quickly you've picked this up." Kelly commented. "You could teach Hunter a thing or two about sales."

"Hey!" He called out, a little offended by his wife's teasing. Kelly just laughed at him in response. "You're really doing great."

"What can I say, I'm really enjoying it." Gabby told them. "All the guys are really friendly here."

"I'm just about to go on the lunch run." Hunter told her. "There's a Subway around the corner. Would you like something?"

"First day treat, it's on us." Kelly assured her.

"That would be great. Could I have the turkey and ham foot long?" She asked.

"Hey, anything you like. Would you like the usual sweetheart?" Hunter asked Kelly.

"You know it." She replied. "Hurry up with that, you know I get cranky when I'm hungry."

"So you must be hungry all the time then." He teased her. Kelly just grabbed a pair of gloves and threw them at his head, narrowly missing him as he left.

"I hate when he does that." She grumbled. "I think that guy over there's looking for help with a skateboard."

"Don't worry Kelly, I'm all over it." She replied, making her way over to him, picking up a couple of leaflets as she went. Tori came over to Kelly, smiling.

"Hey, look at her go!" She complimented the young woman. "She's really getting into the swing of things."

"Yeah, she's working out great." Kelly stated. "I'm glad you recommended her."

They watched as Gabby started pointing out a few products as the skater listened to her intently. It was almost as if she had found her element.

Back in Ocean Bluff, Fran, Dr. Jennings and Liv had just finished with their order as Lily came to their table.

"Hey, it looks like the good weather's brought in great business." Fran commented.

"Tell me about it." She grumbled, starting to gather some plates. "Two kids just called in and quit this morning after only one shift."

"I could probably help out for a little while." Liv suggested, getting up and beginning to gather some plates.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked her. "That would be great. Those kids really left us in the lurch."

"Olivia, what the hell are you doing here?" A stern-looking man demanded as he saw her carrying plates.

"Dad, I was just getting some lunch..."

"Put down those plates this minute!" He interrupted her, grabbing her by the wrist and wrenching it painfully, causing her to drop them, scattering them on the floor. "I've worked too hard to have my daughter demeaning my name by bussing tables."

"Whoa there, could you dial it down a little?" Lily interjected, facing him down. "You're disturbing our customers. If you don't settle down I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Don't worry, we're leaving alright. Come on Olivia; let's get out of this place." He stated sharply. "We'll talk about this at home."

"I'm really sorry about this." Olivia said apologetically as he started to drag her out of the door. Fran ran after her.

"Mr. Jenkins, calm down. We invited Olivia to have lunch with us." She told him.

"Mrs. Martin, get out of my way." He snapped. "Taking care of my daughter is my business. You just concentrate on teaching her."

"Sir, there's no reason..."

"Just to warn you Mrs. Martin, I am on the board of directors." He threatened her. "All it would take is a complaint from me and your job will be gone like that!" He snapped his fingers to make the point. Fran just watched as he dragged Olivia away, shoving her into the car.

"Don't take it to heart Fran; Mr. Jenkins has always been a jackass." Dr. Jennings told her. "Come; let's get back to the school. Those forms aren't going to sort themselves."

Fran wasn't happy about the way everything had ended. She had seen a lot of the danger signs that reminded her of her own childhood. She could only pray that she was wrong.

Meanwhile, Liv was dragged into the house by her father. Seizing the back of her neck roughly, he threw her down onto the couch.

"I was working hard, earning the money that puts the clothes on your back and do you know what happened? Kevin from the mail room told me that my daughter was in the pizza parlour!" He snapped. "I told him he had to be mistaken. You told me you went to study!"

"I did go to study!" She shrieked in response. "I went for lunch with Mrs. Martin and Dr. Jennings!"

"Don't lie to me young lady!" He snarled. "When I got there, you were clearing the table like a common waitress!"

"I just wanted to help out." She replied.

"How do you think it would look if one of my clients saw my daughter bussing tables?" He asked her. "I've worked too damn hard for you to turn the Jenkins name into a laughing stock!"

"But dad..."

"I'm not interested!" He interrupted her. "Go and get it."

She looked up at him in horror.

"Dad, please no..."

"Go and get it!" He reiterated. "It's just going to get worse if I have to get it myself."

Olivia just hung her head as she went to a nearby closet, and opened the door, lifting a leather belt off a hook on the back of it.

"Assume the position." He ordered her. Olivia pulled off her sweatshirt, revealing a tangles mass of bruises, scraped and welts on her back. Some were old, fading scars, others were far more recent. She just dutifully leant over the coffee table without further protest. She knew it was pointless to try and resist. Mr. Jenkins raised his hand as he prepared to strike.


	90. Fran's Suspicions

The next morning, Theo woke up, noticing that Fran was not in the bed with him. Hearing a sound coming from the kitchen, he realised that once again, she had risen early. He came in to find her brewing herself some hot chocolate.

"It's never a good sign when you need a chocolate fix!" He joked, kissing her cheek as he joined her. "You didn't get much sleep did you? Was the baby giving you a hard time?"

"No more than usual." She commented as she poured them both a cup. Theo had been telling the truth when he made that crack about Fran and chocolate. It was one of the few things that was guaranteed to pick her up when she was feeling a little low, and given the way her first few days had gone, she needed something. "It's been a trying couple of days."

"Is the new job really that hard?" He asked her. "I thought you said you liked the kids."

"The job's fine, there have just been a few things that have been a little hard to deal with." She told him.

"What's the problem?" Theo asked her. "Is everything going well with Dr. Jennings?"

"Kind of, he's trying really hard to get me involved in the classes." She told him. "He's really making me feel at ease with the lesson plans and everything."

"Then what's the problem?" He asked as he looked her, a little confused. "You were pretty quiet all last night."

"It was that girl I was telling you about." She replied. "I found her at the school, trying to get a book from her locker. Dr. Jennings and I invited her to lunch with us on a break."

She took a long sip as she remembered the day before. She had a feeling that there was something untoward going on with Liv. She had kept an eye on her since she had met her a couple of days previously, but over time things had just seemed to bother her. She was a very nervous, terrified little thing. She could barely look anyone in the eye, and had to be all but forced to talk to anyone, and when she did, she had a habit of slipping into a nonsensical babbling. She reminded Fran a lot of herself at that age, which was one of the things that worried her.

She seemed to always be limping, or showing signs of injuries, usually just a few pained looks when she moved, but without being allowed to examine her, she couldn't confirm this as all of her injuries were hidden by her clothing, something Fran had experienced when her own parents abused her.

"I'm not sure what's happening, but I think she's having problems at home." She continued. "The other day I saw her dad yelling at her for messing up her clothes, and then yesterday he made a huge scene at the restaurant."

"Fran, I know you want to help, but it might not be anything to worry about." He told her. "I know you said she reminds you of yourself, but just because her dad yelled at her doesn't mean anything bad is happening."

"Theo, you don't get it, he didn't just yell at her. It was so much more than that." She tried to explain. "He grabbed her and dragged her out of there like a criminal. He was making such a scene that Lily had to ask him to leave."

"It was that serious?" He asked her. "What did she do?"

"She just offered to help clear some tables." Fran replied. "When he saw her, he just went ballistic; I haven't seen anything like it since..."

Her words tailed off. Theo knew what she was going to say. She hadn't seen anything like that since her own father had beaten her.

"Look, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Theo said sympathetically. "You might just have caught him at a bad time. I'm sure she'll be fine. If you're really worried, you can talk to her in class tomorrow."

"Her class!" Fran called out. "She left her homework assignment in the classroom yesterday."

"Fran, I'm sure it'll be fine." He groaned as he realised where this was going. "You can just give her an extension..."

"Its fine, I'll just swing by the classroom and get it for her." Fran replied, making her way through to the bathroom to begin getting cleaned up. "It'll only take me about an hour or so."

"Is there any point in me trying to talk you out of this?" Theo asked her.

"I won't be long." She called back as she closed the bathroom door. Theo just shook his head. He knew that it was pointless to try and argue with her. Fran had made up her mind.

Meanwhile, Liv woke up, feeling a familiar burning, stinging sensation. Her father had beaten her the night before, and as usual she had fresh injuries across her back and ribs as a result of his cruel treatment. She had grown used to waking up to such pain across the years, but it was the warm, wet feeling that let her know that it had happened again. She pulled herself up into a seated position and felt a couple of tears falling as she realised that she had once again wet the bed. It was something that had happened a few times to her.

Getting up, she went through to the bathroom and ran the shower, getting it to temperature and stepping in to clean herself up. She never even noticed the sting as soap ran into the open wounds on her flesh. She had grown accustomed to that pain over the years. The only thing that worried her was trying to get her wet nightwear and bed clothing down to the basement and into the washing machine before her father found out. That would just lead to another beating.

Liv hated living with her father. Her life had been like this for as long as she could remember. To the world outside, Mr. Jenkins was the ideal family man. He had a nice house, a nice car and a good job as a partner in one of the city's leading law firms. To anyone who met him or worked with him, he was known to be a caring father, a good provider, and a polite and pleasant man. Of course that was because no one knew what he was like when he closed the door behind him at night.

He was always concerned about his image and his appearance to the world at large. It was always so important to him to maintain the image as the respectable lawyer that he was intolerant of anything that tarnished his image. If the house was messy, then he maintained that it made it look like he wasn't able to take care of his life. If Liv's grades were anything short of exceptional, then it made it look like he couldn't raise his family properly. She was a bright girl, usually averaging around a 3.6 grade point average. Of course her father had earned a 4.0 when he had gone to high school, and so anything short of perfection was a letdown as far as he was concerned.

His cruelty hadn't been reserved to Liv; he had also mistreated her mother. Nothing they did was ever good enough for him. The house was never clean enough; the food was never good enough. She had loved him dearly, and so she had put up with the humiliation and the beatings for years. Of course one day it had all gotten too much for her, and she could no longer take the cruelty. To the world at large, Mrs. Jenkins had suffered some kind of breakdown and had left town, at least that was the story her father had told everyone. He wouldn't allow anyone to know the real reason she had run out on him, leaving her daughter behind to bear the brunt of her father's domineering and savage behaviour alone. They still had no idea where Mrs. Jenkins had gone. She hadn't seen or heard from her since she had abandoned her with her father.

Things had only gotten worse from then on. While before they had shared the brunt of his abuse, now she was the focus of all of his attention. All of her father's friends and business associates, if anything thought more of him since he was now the single father who was working to bring up his girl on his own. Of course that also meant that now Liv's behaviour now reflected even more on his reputation. He didn't want anyone to think he couldn't cope.

Getting dressed in the first thing she could get her hands on, a long-sleeved tee and a pair of pale blue jeans, she gathered up all her wet things and started to sneak down the stairs. So far she couldn't hear the television, and so it seemed like she had managed to wake before him. She was sure she had lucked out. Sneaking downstairs, she checked around for any sign of him, before heading into the basement.

This wouldn't be the first time she'd had to use the washing machine to cover her tracks. It was far from the first time she'd wet the bed, and since she knew what he'd do if he found out, she was left with no choice.

She loaded the washing machine, before looking out the detergent. As she turned around, her heart froze when she realised her dad had come down the stairs, carrying a laundry basket.

"Olivia, what are you doing down here?" He asked her. Liv stammered a little as she tried to think of an answer that would satisfy him. Seeing the detergent in her hand, he crossed over to the washing machine, pulling out her sheets. He glowered at her in disgust.

"Again?" He snarled at her. "You pissed yourself again!"

"Dad, I'm sorry..."

"You pissed your bed like a baby again!" He interrupted her, slapping her hard across the face. Liv fell to the floor, cradling her face. "Do you think that's why I work so hard to earn money? So you can be a baby your whole life?"

"Dad, I'm sorry I didn't mean it!" She wailed as she nursed her cheek. "I'll clean it up, I'll..."

She screamed as he grabbed her by the hair, yanking her to her feet. He dragged her over towards the cleaning cupboard, unlatching the padlock on the door.

"You know what we do to babies, don't you?" He hissed angrily. "We put them into time out."

"Dad please don't so this!" She begged him.

"You're as worthless as your mother was!" He yelled as he threw her inside, closing the door behind her. "You're nothing!"

Liv pounded on the door, crying to get out as her father locked the door shut. She collapsed to the floor, curling into a ball and wept as she realised that she was once again hopelessly trapped. She knew it was pointless to beg for mercy, her father was incapable of it when he felt like he'd been wronged.

Fran arrived at the school, quickly finding what she was looking for, collecting the books Liv had left behind the day before. She put them into a bag, before heading towards the door when a thought came to her. In her haste to get the books to her, she had overlooked one important detail, a major flaw in her plan to get to see the girl in the hopes of making sure she was alright following the altercation in JKP. She didn't know where she lived.

The student's permanent records were all in the principal's office, which she kept locked. Ms. Tennant wouldn't be at the school until Monday morning, and she carried the only key. She also knew that someone at Mr. Jenkins' office would possibly know where he lived, but that wasn't an option either. It was Sunday; the offices would likely be closed.

Then she got another thought, one that might help her locate their home. Gabby's parents owned one of the largest businesses in town. They were regularly consulting with lawyers to broker deals and such like. One of her father's best friends was the family lawyer. It was possible that if he didn't know Mr. Jenkins personally, then perhaps their paths had crossed in the course of business dealings. She pulled out the phone, dialling their number. Gabby's mom answered the call.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Deborah its Fran." She introduced herself.

"Oh Fran, hi how are you?" She asked her. "I just got off the phone with Gabby. She seems to be settling in well. She's looking forward to the first day of term tomorrow."

"That's great to hear, I'm sure I'll get a postcard soon." She answered. "I was actually hoping to ask about someone you might know. I need to find him; I have something to deliver to one of my students. His name's Mr. Jenkins, he's a lawyer..."

"Oh you mean Clive!" She answered excitedly. "I didn't know you were teaching Olivia."

"Yes, well the thing is she left a homework assignment in my classroom over the weekend." Fran explained. "I can't get in to the principal's office to get her address."

"Oh, I think I have a business card here somewhere." She replied. She started rummaging through a nearby drawer. "Yes, we met him at a business function a while ago, he gave us his card. Clive Jenkins...143 Sycamore."

"Ok, thanks for that Deborah." Fran told her.

"No problem, it's good to know you're so dedicated." Deborah replied with a smile. "It's a shame Gabby never had you as a teacher."

Fran hung up the phone, feeling a sense of foreboding. She hated to feel like she was lying to her friends, but until she confirmed or denied her suspicions, there would be no point in turning them against someone that had possibly done nothing. Of course if her suspicions were correct, then it was also possible that acting too soon would only enflame the situation, and being no stranger to abuse, she knew that until there was proof, there was nothing that could be done.

Hefting the heavy bag onto her shoulder, she left the classroom, heading towards the house praying with all her heart that she was wrong.

Liv looked up as she heard her father approaching the door to her makeshift cell. She shielded her eyes from the light as he unlocked it, opening the door to look down on her.

"Have you learned your lesson yet?" He asked her. Liv just nodded in response. He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her out onto the floor.

"Get your sheets and make your bed." He instructed her. "We can discuss the rest of your punishment later."

Liv dutifully went to the washing machine and opened it as the drying cycle ended, pulling out the bed clothing. She looked to her dad, begging him to be merciful, but knowing that wasn't likely to happen. He cupped her chin with his hand, checking out her cheek to see if it has started to swell or bruise from the slap he gave her earlier.

He heard a knock on the door and looked around, wondering who could be coming to the door. He wasn't expecting anyone. He hated surprises.

"Get those things and make your bed. Stay in your room until I tell you to come down." He ordered her. Liv just bundled up the bed clothing and followed her father up to the landing. He made his way to the door as she went to the stairs. He opened the door, seeing Fran standing outside.

"Mrs. Martin?" He asked her curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Liv left her homework assignment in the classroom yesterday." Fran explained, looking around him for some sign of Liv. She saw the young girl in the background carrying laundry. She was too far away, and it was too dark for her to see properly what condition she was in, though she appeared to be almost cowering. "I just came to give it to her."

"Olivia, go and deal with that laundry!" Mr. Jenkins told her. "I don't want to tell you again."

Liv just scampered up the stairs, leaving them alone. He turned back to Fran.

"Thank you, for bringing this." He told her. "Not many teaching assistants would put themselves out like that."

"Well I kind of feel like there was a little misunderstanding at the restaurant yesterday." Fran admitted. "I just wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"There was no misunderstanding." He said abruptly, snatching the books from Fran. "My daughter said she was studying, and I found her bussing tables. She lied to me."

"She was studying in the class with us." Fran explained. "She left her books there when we went on a lunch break."

"Mrs. Martin, I want the best for my daughter. It isn't easy raising a girl by myself." He told her. "I earn enough money. There is no need for her to work. I would prefer her to concentrate on getting her grades up."

"With all due respect sir, many kids have a part-time job when they're studying." Fran told him. "It encourages responsibility. I worked at JKP..."

"And look where that got you." He said sarcastically. "Pregnant by the time you're 21 and working at the school you attended only a couple of years ago."

"Mr. Jenkins, I am pregnant to my HUSBAND!" She reminded him. "I don't think..."

"Don't concern yourself with how I raise my daughter. You just concentrate on setting her homework assignments." He snapped. "Good day Mrs. Martin."

With that, he slammed the door in her face. Fran was far from satisfied with the outcome. If anything, she was worried she had only made things worse.

Mr. Jenkins came into Liv's room, finding her slowly straightening her bed sheets. She froze as he dumped the books on the bed in front of her.

"This is how you plan to get your grades up?" He asked her. "By forgetting to do your homework?"

"Dad, please if you'd just let me go back to the school..."

"So this is my fault?" He asked her. Liv shook her head. He snorted in disgust.

"Assume the position." He ordered her as he took off his belt. Liv just dutifully leant over the bed and prepared for the beating to begin.


	91. Intervention

Fran went to school the next morning, still unable to think of much beyond the short discussion she had with Liv's father the day before. She had wanted to check on Liv and make sure she was alright, but Mr. Jenkins wouldn't let her see his daughter. She had seen her briefly at a distance, but not enough to ascertain how she was. All she knew was that there was something that wasn't right. Now her fear was that despite her caution, she had only enflamed the situation.

She arrived in the classroom, finding Dr. Jennings sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. He looked incredibly tired, and a little ill. She came over to him, putting a hand on his shoulders, causing him to jump with a start.

"Sorry Fran, I'm just a little jittery." He told her as he calmed himself down.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"It's been a bad couple of days. I haven't slept well." He told her.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked him, becoming a little concerned about him. "You could go home and..."

"It's the DTs." He told her sadly. "I'm so used to passing out drunk; it's been a long time since I've gotten a natural sleep. I only got a couple of hours last night."

"Why don't you go home and rest up?" She asked him. "You brought your lesson plans; I could take the kids through a few..."

"If I go home now, the way I'm feeling I'll just end up going for a drink." He told her, pouring himself some coffee from a flask. Seeing the look on her face, he handed it to her.

"Its straight coffee, nothing but beans and water I promise." He told her as she sniffed it, and took a small taste before handing it back to him. She hated to be suspicious, she wanted to trust him, but having watched what alcohol had done to both of her parents, she knew that addiction could make a person very deceptive, even to those that knew and cared about them the most.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to check." She replied regretfully. "I know this has to be hard, but it's for the best."

"I know that, I just know that I can't do it on my own." He stated. "I figured that being around someone I know has my back would be a good move."

Fran smiled and hugged him warmly, pleased to know that he thought so highly of her. He trusted her to stay strong for him and help him when he was tempted to waver. To support him when he felt weak, and stand by him through one of the hardest tests of his life. It felt good to know that she was helping him.

"So how are the two of you?" He asked her. Fran sniggered a little and held her belly.

"He's obviously been tiring himself out recently; he's actually pretty quiet this morning." She informed him. "I was worrying that he'd take after his father the way he's been so active lately."

"I did ask how you were too." He reminded her. Fran's face slipped a little and she thought about that one. He looked at her, becoming a little worried when she didn't answer. "Fran, is something troubling you?"

"I'm a little worried about Liv." She told him. Dr. Jennings sucked his teeth, recalling the confrontation at JKP a couple of days ago. He knew it had upset Fran when he yelled at them and dragged Liv away in front of everyone. He had been a little upset himself, but he knew it was necessary to exercise restraint. As much as he wanted to stop what was happening, he knew that as Mr. Jenkins was her father, he had no right to stop him taking her away. She was a minor, she was his legal responsibility.

"I'm sure she's fine." He said in a sigh. "Sure, he was angry about her offering to help, but I'm sure she'll be fine. He'll probably have screamed at her for a while and..."

"I think he might have done a lot more than that." Fran told him. She took a seat with him and brushed some hair out of her face. "If I tell you something, can you keep it to yourself?"

"Sure." He replied. Fran took a deep breath as she made sure they were alone and tried to begin.

"I think her father's abusing her." She told him. Dr. Jennings just looked at her a little bemused. "Yesterday morning I was worried about her after the blow up at JKP, and then I remembered she left her homework in the classroom when we took her to lunch..."

"Please tell me you didn't go round there." He begged her. Fran looked to her shoes, unable to lie to him. "Fran, you shouldn't get involved like that! She was probably fine; you could have talked to her today."

"I'm beginning to think you're right." She sighed, thinking about the unpleasant encounter with Mr. Jenkins on his doorstep. "He refused to let me in to see her. I saw her moving about in the back, but I couldn't see her well enough to see if she was hurt."

"What makes you think he'd hurt her in the first place?" The teacher asked her. "Sure, the guy's an asshole and he treated us like crap but there isn't a law against that, and it doesn't prove he's been hurting her."

"The first time I met her, she bumped into me, but she seemed to be a lot more hurt than she should have been." Fran informed him.

"Maybe she just fell badly." He suggested.

"It bothered me at the time, but I figured maybe she'd been in an accident or something, but each time I've seen her, she seems to find it really hard to stand up straight, and she's pretty much always limping." Fran continued. "I think she's being hurt on a pretty regular basis."

"Maybe she's being bullied." He said with a shrug. "You know what the kids here can be like."

"If it was bullying I'd expect a lot more visible injuries. Kids aren't usually smart enough to hide their cruelty." Fran explained. "There are other things too. She's really jittery and nervous. She has almost no confidence. She never even looks anyone in the eye."

"She's always been like that." Dr. Jennings told her. "You were the same at her age."

He stopped breathing as he looked into her eyes. She didn't answer this, but she didn't need to. Her expression, her body language said everything that needed to be said.

"Oh my God, Fran I'm so sorry." He gasped, the faintest hint of a guilty tear forming in his eyes. "I should have noticed something, I should have known..."

"They were pretty good at hiding it." Fran mumbled, shifting a little uneasily in her chair. "I recognised a lot of the signs from what happened to me. The way her dad talks to her, talks about her..."

"Fran, I know this must be difficult." He said sympathetically, placing a hand on her arm reassuringly. "Are you sure about this? It's a pretty serious accusation."

"I can't prove anything until I get a chance to talk to Liv properly." Fran told him, wiping away a tear as memories of her own abuse came back to her. "I know there are other explanations, I know I might be wrong, but all the pieces fit."

"Do you really think she'll open up to you?" He asked her. Fran just shrugged.

"I never told anyone. I only told one of my best friends about a year and a half ago." She admitted. "The fear that no one would believe me; that I'd be sent back to them to face the consequences of trying to get them into trouble was too strong. It's possible, but it'll take a lot of trust on her part. I really hope I can convince her to talk to me."

"I'll do what I can to help." He sighed, pulling her in for a warm hug. "I believe in you Fran. I owe you that much."

"You owe me?" She asked him.

"I owe you for letting you down when you needed me." He replied. "I failed you when I didn't pick up on what was going on."

"You helped in more ways than you'll ever know." She responded. "Liv has a class here just before lunch. I was hoping you could excuse us so I could try and have a word with her."

"I think I could manage that." He replied, pouring himself another coffee, before offering her a cup. "You can have one cup right? The caffeine won't harm the little one?"

"I think one cup should be safe." Fran responded. "Something tells me I'm going to need it."

Over in the temple, Dom was busy writing a letter to Gabby when his brother arrived, sitting on the edge of the bed. He laughed a little as he saw the framed picture of them sitting on the bed.

"You know she has only been gone three days." He reminded the Rhino Master. Dom sighed and shook his head, ignoring his brother's teasing as he continued writing. "Sorry to tease, I know it must be hard."

"I never thought I'd miss her this much." Dom told him. "She called me on the first night to tell me she arrived safely, but other than that, I have no idea what she's doing."

"She's probably getting ready for her first day." Jarrod reminded him. "She'll probably be signing forms and deciding what clubs she's going to join."

"I really just wish I could see her." Dom told him. "I know it hasn't been long, but I really just want to make sure she's settled and know she's alright."

"Hey, if she's anything like her Uncle, she'll have nothing to worry about." Jarrod reminded him. "Besides, she's a Master. She can take care of herself, and it's not like she doesn't have plenty of friends around her."

"I guess that's true." Dom said in a sigh.

"Besides, they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder." He teased him. "It's only next weekend until you plan to head over there."

"I guess I have to try and wait." Dom replied with a weak laugh. "She'll never get used to a routine there if I show up every couple of days right?"

"That would be true." Jarrod replied, leaning across the bed and picking up a pre-packed bag. "I'll just take this for safe keeping shall I?"

Dom just shook his head and went back to his letter as Jarrod left the room. He always wondered when they started to know how to read each other so well.

Fran looked to Dr. Jennings as the freshman class came in. Liv, as usual, just seemed to slink in at the back, avoiding everyone and slipping into a desk as far from anyone as she could. Fran could see that she was hunched over, and she almost struggled with her books. She was wearing a sheer, long-sleeved t-shirt, a poor choice as Fran recalled from her experiences. Anything tight just tended to aggravate any fresh wounds. Her hair wasn't tied back, and kind of obscured much of her face and neck. It was so thick, Fran could hardly see the pink leather studded collar around her neck, almost as though she thought it was some kind of cloak that would obscure her from view.

As the homework assignments were handed to the front, Fran took them to a desk in the corner to start marking. That was just one of her jobs. Normally she'd have waited and done that at home, concentrating on observing the class to learn, but that was all part of her idea of how to get Liv on her own.

As she marked the papers, checking them over for errors and generally assessing their quality, she couldn't help taking a few glances over to Liv's desk. She didn't look at anyone, not even once throughout the whole lesson. The only time she talked or contributed at all to the lesson was when Dr. Jennings asked her a direct question, putting her on the spot.

Fran finally reached her paper and marked it. She couldn't help smiling. Even though she would have only had a few hours to put it together, it was a fantastic piece. It truly captured the subject material in a way that showed a thorough understanding and insight. Once she had finished, she stood up, turning to Dr. Jennings.

"Um...sorry to interrupt Dr. Jennings, but I'd like to talk to Olivia about her essay a little." Fran told him. He nodded his head, before gesturing to the terrified girl.

"Don't keep Mrs Martin waiting." He told her. Olivia reluctantly got up from her desk, standing as straight as she could, and followed her out into the hall. Fran turned to face her.

"Is something wrong with my essay? I really hope not, but if there is I can fix it. I'll do it again I promise..." She started to babble.

"Breathe Liv, it's alright." Fran interrupted her reassuringly. "I really enjoyed your essay. It really shows a great understanding of the material."

"You...you like it?" Liv asked her. Fran was trying to catch her eye, but the young girl was still looking away, and her hair still obstructed her view.

"It was actually something else I wanted to talk to you about." She replied. "Could you look at me please?"

Liv shifted a little uneasily, not feeling comfortable with this at all. What could Fran possibly want with her? She looked up a little, though didn't quite find her eye.

Fran sighed as she looked into the young girl's face. The right eye and cheekbone, while flesh-coloured, were slightly darker than the rest of her face, and the contour of the area let her know what the story was. She reached forward, causing her to flinch.

"I won't hurt you, I promise." She said soothingly, stroking some of the hair out of Olivia's face. She touched her cheek gently, before inspecting her finger and sighing. "I take it this is your first time covering up a black eye."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Liv lied to her. Her father was normally so careful to ensure he didn't injure her in any visible way, nothing that wouldn't be concealed by her clothes. Of course his anger over the incident with the sheets had caused him to lash out, slapping her hard across the face. That morning, he had stood over her as she prepared for school to ensure that she covered the bruising.

"You're wearing concealer." Fran replied, rubbing her fingers together. "You didn't do badly for a first attempt, but you need heavier foundation to stop it being noticeably darker."

Liv gave a small nod and looked away from her. Fran gestured to a seat, normally reserved for students thrown out of class for being disruptive, and sat down with her.

"What happened?" Fran asked her. "How did you get that?"

"I...I...fell...off my bike." Liv stammered, trying to piece together an explanation. She doubted anyone would believe her if she told them that "Mr. Perfect" the icon of the ideal man and father would do that to her.

"You fell off your bike?" Fran asked her sceptically. "You know I used to fall off my bike a lot too."

She breathed a sigh and cast her mind back.

"I also used to fall down stairs, walk into furniture, oh and I used to trip over kerbs a lot too. In all those accidents, I learned one thing. When I really fell..."

She grabbed one of Liv's wrists, turning the heel of her hand upwards, revealing it to be undamaged as she knew it would be.

"I grazed my hands." She concluded. "When I really fell over I put my hands out to stop myself. I didn't use my face to break my fall."

Liv looked up at her, unsure as to how to respond to this. Did she really understand? Had she figured out what she was sure she would always have to face alone? Fran put an arm around her.

"I've heard all the excuses. My parents used them all when they took me to the doctor." She told her. "By the time I was 8, I had broken 6 bones."

"Your...your parents did that to you?" Liv asked her. Fran nodded to her.

"It was mainly my dad. He used to hit me and mom a lot. Some bad stuff happened to him when he was young, and he blamed us for it." Fran told her. "My mom kind of picked up where he left off after he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Liv replied, looking to the floor. Fran put her hand on her back, causing her to flinch in pain.

"I know what it's like for you because I went through it too." She stated. "My parents always blamed me for everything. I was made to feel like I deserved it, like it was my fault but it wasn't. No one deserves to go through that."

"You don't understand, Dad has a really stressful job." Liv whined, struggling to keep herself from crying. "He doesn't need a screw-up like me making him look bad or..."

"Liv, they always have an excuse." Fran told her, drawing her into a tight hug, letting the young girl weep onto her shoulder. "No one ever deserves what he's doing to you."

"I just want it to stop!" She sobbed. "I don't want him to get into trouble, I don't want him to get angry or look bad. I just want him to stop hurting me!"

"Liv, I believe you, I'm going to do everything I can to help you but you have to trust me." Fran told her as they parted, looking into her eyes. "Can you do that?"

Liv nodded as she wiped away a few tears. Fran helped her up.

"First, I really would like to get your injuries properly looked at." Fran told her.

"No! We can't! They'd..."

"Calm down, we're not going to a doctor or a hospital." Fran promised her. "You're a minor; they couldn't treat you without your father's consent. I know you wouldn't want him to think you're trying to get him in trouble. I have a friend who's good with this kind of thing."

"Is he a doctor or something?" Liv asked her. Fran nodded.

"More like 'or something.' Flit's nice, you can trust him." She told her as she helped Liv out of her seat. "Now, I just need to clear our absence for the rest of the period, and then I'll take you to see him."

Liv sat down as Fran went to get a pass from Dr. Jennings, placing her face in her hands and wept uncontrollably as a sense of relief ran through her. She had been beaten, bullied and degraded by her father for so long; she had believed everything he told her. She had come to believe she deserved her treatment. She thought that no one would believe her, and that they would side with him. Now though, even though she wasn't certain it would help, there was now someone who not only believed her, but had gotten the truth from her. Who had known what she was going through because she had gone through it herself.

She was no longer alone.


	92. Liv's Release

Susan was taking an inventory of the stock at the Rock Porium when Fran and Liv arrived. She turned to see them in the doorway.

"Hey Fran, this is a nice surprise. I thought you were working all day today." She commented. "Um...shouldn't she be in school?"

"This is Liv; she's one of my students." Fran introduced her. Liv, as usual, could barely look at Susan, and all but turned tail and ran as she came over to greet her. She reached out as Susan offered her hand, but the handshake was so brief and weak, she barely touched her. "Is Flit here?"

"He's upstairs." Susan answered, retrieving her hand and inspecting the girl curiously. Since their wedding, she had moved in with Jarrod up at the temple, leaving the apartment above the store vacant. Flit had moved in shortly afterwards to save money, shortly afterwards, Michelle joined him.

"Could we go up and see him?" Fran asked her. "It's a private matter."

Susan just nodded and gestured to the door to the stock room. Fran guided the young girl through the stock room, up the stairs to the apartment. She knocked the door before entering. She knew that Flit never locked the door to the apartment. They entered, finding him sitting in the lotus position in the middle of the living room meditating. His collection of plants had decreased somewhat since he no longer lived alone, and this apartment was significantly smaller than his old one, and yet his living room still looked somewhat more like a greenhouse than a home.

"Flit?" Fran greeted him, seeing that he hadn't yet come back to consciousness. "Flit, it's me Fran."

Flit's eyes opened and he drew himself to his feet.

"Fran, I thought you were working today." He said as his curiosity got the better of him. "Who's she?"

"I had something more important to do. This is Liv." Fran introduced the girl, gently shoving her forward. "She has some injuries that I'd like you to look at."

Flit smiled at the young girl and gestured for her to take a seat. He sat opposite her, looking to Fran.

"What's the problem?" He asked. "Surely you want me to look at more than this black eye."

Liv just looked to Fran, uncertain as to what she should do. She had more than a few reasons not to trust others, and she had only just met this man.

"It's alright Liv, you can trust me and you can trust Flit." She said soothingly. "He's a healer."

"You're a doctor?" She asked him. Flit just gave a small laugh and shook his head.

"No, I'm a healer." He told her. "I don't have a medical licence, but I practice a great many alternative remedies."

"Alternative medicine?" She asked a little sceptically. "You mean you're one of those quacks who messes around with tea and massage oil?"

Flit noticed that Fran had to try hard not to laugh. Most people who heard of what Flit did thought the same. He had said himself that in these modern times there were so many people that proclaimed themselves to be experts in alternative medicine that were charlatans; it made it hard for those with genuine ability to be taken seriously. Fran though knew that he was a true healer. He had done so much for her and the others; they rarely had to go to their true doctors.

"It's fine Liv, you can trust him." Fran assured her. "I'm here. Show him."

Liv didn't really feel much better, but she knew that Fran had her best interests at heart, and she could trust her to ensure nothing happened to her. She pulled off her shirt and turned her back to Flit, exposing the extent of her injuries. He felt a little ill as he saw what had been done to her. He knew exactly what would cause this kind of injury.

"Ok, this is going to hurt a little, but I need to check to see how serious things are." He told her. Liv just nodded as he began inspecting the cuts and bruises to ensure there was nothing more serious wrong with her. It bothered him slightly that she barely flinched as he inspected the wounds, though he wasn't too surprised. She had a high pain threshold, largely because she had become so accustomed to it. He could tell from her flesh that she had been experiencing such beatings for a long time, possibly years.

"I'm just going to rub some ointment into the wounds. It'll help them heal." He told her, reaching for a small pot on the table next to his seat. He looked to Fran before beginning, wordlessly communicating that he wasn't comfortable with this situation. "It'll feel a little warm, but this will help I promise."

He rubbed the ointment into the wounds, feeling her tremble a little as he did so. He knew it had to hurt like hell, but she never complained. Her father simply hurt her more severely if she cried out. She was used to pain.

"There, I've finished, leave it a couple of minutes and then you can put your shirt back on." He told her, handing her a bowl of candy. "Knock yourself out kid, you've been really brave."

As Liv sat on the couch, taking a few sweets, he rubbed his hands on a towel, coming to Fran's side, the expression on his face betraying his indignation at her condition.

"How is she?" Fran asked him.

"Those wounds have to hurt like hell." He told her. "They still used whipping and caning as punishments when I worked at the temple, but I've never seen anyone who's back looked like that."

"Her dad's been treating her badly." Fran informed him. Flit just sucked his teeth upon hearing this.

"I'd really like to meet the son of a bitch who did this." He commented. "That girl's probably the bravest girl I've ever met. She should be in agony and she hasn't said a word."

"She's too scared to." Fran told him. "She only opened up to me because she knows I went through it too."

"She's lucky to have you." Flit replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Fran responded in a sigh, looking at Olivia, wishing she had an easy answer. "I really don't know."

Meanwhile, in his office, Mr. Jenkins was working on some files for a client when his phone rang.

"Hello, Mr. Jenkins?" The voice on the other end announced. "This is Ms. Foster. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted me to send Liv's assignments, or will she pick them up tomorrow?"

"Excuse me?" He asked her.

"Mrs. Martin took your daughter out of school at lunch time." She explained curtly. "She didn't return for the afternoon classes. I just wanted to know how you wanted me to get her assignments to her."

"Just hold them at the school; she'll pick them up tomorrow." He replied, his grip on the phone tightening so much his knuckles turned white. He could barely contain his rage at hearing that his daughter was skipping classes. Did she not know the importance of education? Didn't she appreciate how hard he worked to keep her in school? "She'll do them. I promise you that."

As he slammed the phone down in his frustration, he reached across for his car keys. His daughter continued to defy him and try to bring shame to his good name. He was determined to find her and make sure she knew the cost of her defiance.

Back at the Rock Porium, Liv pulled her shirt back on once Flit was satisfied the ointment had done its work. She looked up to Fran, smiling at her. Despite the pain, she was truly grateful that someone understood.

"Thank you." She whispered. "I never thought anyone would believe me."

"That's why things have gotten as bad as they have." Fran told her, putting her arms around her protectively. "No one ever thinks people will believe them. That's why abusers get away with it for so long."

Liv parted from her, wiping her eyes as she tried to compose herself. She knew there was likely to be consequences for skipping the latter half of the school day, but right now it just felt good not to be alone in her plight.

"Why doesn't your mom stop him?" Fran asked her. Liv just shook her head.

"Mom ran away a couple of years ago." She informed Fran sadly. "Dad hit her too; she just couldn't take it anymore. One day I got back from school and she was gone. She never left a note or anything. Dad called around all her relatives and friends but she just disappeared. No one knows where she is. I don't even know if she's alive."

"Things must have been pretty rough." Fran commented. "I couldn't imagine leaving my baby behind. I know I don't have a choice right now, but even after he's born, I love him so much, I couldn't imagine leaving him."

"Sometimes he used to beat her so badly she couldn't get out of bed." Liv told her. "He sent her to the hospital a couple of times."

"I still can't understand how she could leave you alone with him." Fran reiterated. She relented though when she saw the hurt look on Liv's face. As much as things were bad for her, she loved her mother. She didn't like it when people spoke badly of her. "I'm sorry."

Just then, Fran got a slightly pained look on her face. Liv noticed it and seemed concerned.

"Are you alright?" She asked her. Fran grunted and nodded a little.

"I'm fine, the baby's just moving." Fran informed her. She saw Liv's eyes lighting up as she said this and a little smile crossing her lips. Her lip quivered as she tried to speak. Fran saw her hand fidgeting a little and knew what she wanted.

"Would you like to feel?" She asked. Liv's smile almost split her face. It was so broad that she exposed her braces as she moved closer. Fran took her hand and placed it on her own abdomen. As the baby kicked, Liv giggled nervously.

"I felt that!" She shrieked. "It's really moving!"

"He." Fran corrected her. "It's a boy."

I was an only child; I never knew what it was like for mom when she was pregnant." Liv told her. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

"Theo and I were mulling over a few ideas." She replied. "I really like the old movie 'A for Algernon'. I kind of like Algie."

"That's a nice name." Liv said, nodding her head in agreement. "I hope you get your way."

"I'm trying to wear Theo down." She chuckled. Just then, they heard a couple of raised voices from the store below. Liv's face went white as she realised one of them was her father.

"He's looking for me!" She gasped. "I have to go to him!"

"Liv, you can't just go with him." Fran told her. "Things aren't going to improve without intervention. Things are only going to escalate."

"You know what he's like!" Liv shrieked. "He'll get what he wants. He always gets what he wants!"

"Not today." Fran told her sharply. "Stay behind me, and don't say anything. I have a few things I'd like to discuss with Mr. Wonderful."

As they arrived downstairs, Mr. Jenkins and Susan were in the middle of a blazing row that had emptied the store. Susan was far from a victim, and looked to be only an inch from snapping.

"I was told my daughter was with Mrs. Martin!" He roared. "Now, I've already been by her apartment and Jungle Karma. I know this is where her husband works..."

"You've already disturbed my customers and cost me sales!" Susan snapped back. "I used to be a cop, I know my rights and one of my rights is the right to demand that you leave my store. If you don't, I'll have you arrested!"

"My daughter is coming with me! I'm not leaving without her!" He spat in his anger.

"I'm an ex-cop. If I call them, they'll be down here like a shot!" She told him. "They don't like it when someone threatens one of theirs."

"It's alright Susan, I'll deal with this." Fran stated, stepping into the store. Liv was a little way behind her.

"Olivia, get in the car!" He snarled as he saw his daughter.

"Liv, stay where you are!" Fran stated. She turned back to Mr. Jenkins. "What's the problem here?"

"My daughter just skipped half a day of school." He replied. "I'm sure the education board won't be impressed if I tell them she did so at your request."

"I brought her here because I was worried about her." Fran told him. She looked him up and down in disgust. "You know, you remind me of my dad."

"Olivia is coming home with me." He growled. "I'm her father, and she's a minor. You can't stop me."

"I can if I make a formal complaint of child abuse." Fran replied. He just snorted in disdain at the threat.

"You have no evidence." He reminded her. "Of course I'm on the board of directors at the school. Once I make a complaint about you taking my daughter out of school, they'll tear up your contract like that!" He snapped his fingers to make the point.

"You know you really are like my dad." Fran said in a small laugh. "Sure, he wasn't a big shot with a high paying job, a big house and a fancy car. In fact for most of his adult life he was an unemployable drunk. Of course he was just like you in one respect."

She stepped forward, squaring up to him.

"You're a bully!" She snapped. "You can't deal with your own problems, so you take it out on people weaker than you. Why don't you try it with me eh?"

"Trust me; I'll destroy you without laying a hand on you. I'll torch your career and sue your ass off!" He hissed angrily, pointing a finger at her. "I'll..."

Fran grabbed his wrist, twisting it sharply, before grabbing his hair and slamming his face into the counter. Mr. Jenkins collapses on the floor, holding his face.

"You bitch!" He screamed, feeling the pain in his cheek.

"Liv has a black eye. Now, by complete coincidence, so do you." Fran responded as Liv and Susan looked on in shock. Fran took a couple of steps forward. "I know I can't legally take her from you, but..."

"You're ass is mine!" He interrupted her. "You just assaulted me! By the time I'm finished you won't have a penny to your name and no school will ever employ you!"

"I sincerely doubt you'll be in a hurry to admit to all your hot shot lawyer friends that you were beaten up by a girl half your size and who's five months pregnant." Fran replied. "Here's what's going to happen. Liv is going to stay with some friends of mine for the foreseeable future. You are going to anger management therapy. Once I'm satisfied she'll be safe, we'll talk about her coming home."

"You can't..."

"You will not see her without me or one of my friends there." Fran continued, ignoring his pleas. "As for Liv, we'll be watching her closely. Right now you have a black eye just like her. That's the last time your injury will equal hers. From now on, if she has a black eye, you'll have two. If she sprains her wrist, yours will be broken. If she has a broken fingernail, you'll have a broken finger. Am I clear?"

Mr. Jenkins just nodded. No one had ever stood up to him like that before. The throbbing pain in his face was a reminder that he had underestimated her. Looking up to her, he could tell there was a strength in her he couldn't understand, one he knew he couldn't defeat. Fran offered him a hand, helping him up.

"You have a very serious problem." She told him. "It shouldn't be Liv's problem too. Bring a case full of her clothes here tomorrow."

He just nodded in understanding and left the store. Liv came over to Fran, turning her towards her.

"You shouldn't have done that!" She shrieked. "It's not over, it'll never be over! He's got friends and..."

"You don't need to worry, let me worry about the fallout." Fran told her, stroking her hair. She pulled her into a hug, bringing Liv's face into her shoulder. "It's over, I promise you. Your father will never raise a hand to you again."

"It can't be over!" She sobbed as she broke down into tears. "It can't. He'll never change. He always gets his way."

"Not this time he won't." Fran told her. "He will never hit you again. I promise you that."

"You said I'm not going home." Liv stammered, pulling away from her. "Where will I live? What will I do?"

"That's the part of the plan I hadn't figured out yet." Fran said in a small sigh. "I guess now I need to make some phone calls."

Meanwhile in Blue Bay Harbour, Gabby got back to the apartment after a long day at Uni. It was only the induction day, and so she was mainly just finding out where everything was and signing forms, but it was still pretty wild.

Throwing her bag into the corner, she slumped into the couch and flipped out her phone, hitting speed dial. It only rang a couple of times before it was answered.

"Gabby!" Dom yelled excitedly, forcing her to pull the phone away. "How are you? How's Uni?"

"Everything's great here." She replied, fidgeting with a pillow. "The apartment's great, and the Uni's good too. Stephen's an amazing chef."

"So you're settling in alright?" He asked her. Gabby just sighed.

"I'd feel better if you were here." She replied. "It sucks being so far away."

"I know, I feel the same way." He assured her. "Things just aren't the same without you here."

"How is everyone?" She asked him. Dom just laughed.

"They're all great." He told her. "Lily's still driving me crazy asking if we've set a date. I think she's desperate to read another ceremony."

"I think so too." Gabby sniggered. "That's one decision down at least."

"So....do you have a date in mind?" He asked her. Gabby picked up a candy bar and unwrapped it.

"I was kind of thinking a little after the academic year ends." She told him. "How are you fixed for June?"

"June sounds great." He replied. "I'm sure by then we'll have sorted out everything."

"I'm sure we will too." She replied. "I kind of thought Mark and RJ handling the catering would do well."

"I think they'd love that." He responded. "So how are you spending your time out there?"

She looked over to Mark's bike and smiled, thinking about how free and happy she felt on the track.

"What do you know about motocross?" She asked him.


	93. Mr Jenkins' Next Move

Lily was woken up early as she heard someone moving around in the main room of her apartment. She groaned as she realised that it had only been a couple of hours since she had given David his night time feed. RJ didn't need to go to the market that morning, so that only left one option. It was their new house guest that had gotten up.

Fran had briefly explained about the situation with Liv, and had asked them to take her in for a few days. She and Theo didn't really have room in their apartment, and they were sure that if Mr. Jenkins did try to bring her back, then Fran's place was likely the first place he would look. Of all of the former Jungle Fury team, they had the most room, and so it made sense that they take her.

She made her way into the main room, finding Liv in her underwear, crouched by the washer, bundling in a load of laundry. She was still disgusted to see the injuries on her back and her ribs from her father's cruel treatment. She could hear a small, pathetic whimper coming from her as she desperately tried to wrestle the bundle into the machine.

"Liv, are you alright?" Lily asked her. The young girl snapped round, her eyes full of tears. She didn't seem to be overly concerned about being in the room almost naked.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. James!" She sobbed, pulling away from her. "I didn't mean it, I'll clean it up I swear!"

Lily looked to the washer and noticed that it was the bed clothing from Liv's room. She guessed that Liv had to have wet the bed during the night. She just looked at her sympathetically. Given how long she must have been abused, it was only natural that she was nervous and insecure. She cowered before Lily in a mixture of embarrassment and fear of reprisal.

"It's alright Liv; everyone has a little accident once in a while." She said reassuringly. "Let me clean this up. You go and have a shower."

"It's alright, I can..."

"Leave it to me; you're a guest here for as long as you're staying with us." Lily told her. "I'll deal with this. You just go and get cleaned up for school."

Liv just smiled at her, exposing her extensive braces as she brushed the hair out her face. She wasn't accustomed to being treated with such kindness. Normally a slight as great as this would have led to more pain, but here, she was being offered support, it was something she wasn't used to. Lily grabbed a couple of items of underwear and handed them to her.

"I think you're about the same size as me, I'll lend you these until we can get your stuff from your dad tonight." Lily told her. "Now, go and enjoy your shower."

Liv made her way into the bathroom, beginning to get cleaned up. RJ came into the main room, yawning loudly.

"RJ, for goodness sake don't walk around in your underwear." Lily grumbled, seeing that he was in his boxer shorts. "We do have company."

"What are you doing up so early?" He asked her. Lily gestured to the bed clothing piled by the washer.

"Liv had a little accident." Lily told him. "I let her know it's alright, but I think she's still a little upset about it."

"Her dad has a lot to answer for." RJ commented. "If it wasn't for the fact I'm not a violent guy, I'd love to hurt him."

"From what Susan said, Fran took care of that." Lily reminded him. "I just hate to think anyone could treat her that way. She's a lovely girl, she doesn't deserve this."

"Hopefully her dad took Fran's words as a wakeup call." RJ replied. "I'd hate to see this continue."

"It won't if we have anything to do with it." Lily replied as Liv came back into the room, having dressed in the clothes she had been wearing the night before, lacking anything else to wear as a result of her hasty move. She buckled the pink leather collar behind her neck as she sorted out her hair, quickly checking her appearance in the mirror. She sighed as she saw the bruising across her eye and cheek. It had been her clumsy attempt to hide it that had led to Fran finally getting through to her and making her admit what her father had been doing to her.

"Mrs. Martin said I didn't know how to cover this up properly." She told Lily as she came over.

"You don't need to hide it; you have nothing to be ashamed about." Lily assured her. Liv just looked at her hopefully. She understood that despite everything she still loved her father and didn't want him to get into trouble. She wanted him to have the chance to change by himself.

"I know, I just..." Her words tailed off, but Lily could see in her expression what she was thinking. She just sighed and relented, fetching her makeup kit.

"RJ and I practice Martial Arts. It wouldn't be the first time I've covered up a few bruises." Lily told her. "I'll help you out."

Fran was wakened up that morning as Theo came into the room with a tray. She smiled as she smelled the bacon and eggs he had prepared.

"Happy birthday Fran." He greeted his wife with a soft kiss on the cheek. "How does it feel to turn 21?"

"You made me breakfast in bed?" She asked him, observing the tray with a huge grin on her face. "Bacon, eggs, orange juice, Theo this is lovely!"

"Well I wanted to take you out for dinner tonight, but I know you have to give that a miss to collect Liv's stuff from her dad." He told her. "So I figured it would be best to at least sort you out a special breakfast."

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." She grumbled. "Not only do I have to go to the Rock Porium after my shift to get Liv's stuff, Ms. Tennant stuck me with a kid on academic probation."

"You're dealing with academic probation?" Theo asked her. "She does know you're only a teaching assistant right?"

"She just likes to palm problem cases off on the lowest people on the totem pole." She replied, beginning to check through the mail addressed to her on the edge of the tray. "I think she's hoping I fail at improving his behaviour so she has a reason to kick him out."

"You're kidding right?" Theo asked her. Fran just shrugged, throwing the letters aside. "I know you said she hates kids, but surely even she can't be that cold hearted."

"Trust me; I'm half expecting her to start growing green fur around Christmas time." Fran responded sarcastically. "Still, I guess I wanted to help kids. I guess if I get to keep him in school I'll prove something to her."

"Those kids are really lucky to have you." He told her. "Is there anything interesting in the mail?"

"I'll look properly later." She replied with a little shrug. "It looks like all the usual bills. I'm really not looking forward to this month. That noise the car makes is getting worse. I think we'll probably need to service it soon."

"We'll get by, you know we will." Theo said reassuringly. "You know we always do."

Meanwhile at his office, Mr. Jenkins was sitting at his desk. He'd cancelled all of his appointments for the day, owing to the black eye Fran had given him the day before. He still felt humiliated that she had done that to him, and that she had threatened him. Who did she think she was to tell him how to raise his daughter? What gave her the right to intervene?

Of course he wasn't able to do anything about it. Not only were the only witnesses Susan and Liv, who were unlikely to back up his side of the story, it wasn't as if he wanted to admit being beaten up by a woman.

However, he also had no intention of letting this be the end of things. He was going to get his daughter back, and she would learn the cost of defying him while some nosy teaching assistant tried to tell him he needed therapy like so many of the clients he'd plea-bargained into reduced sentences. Before the night was through, Liv would be back where she belonged.

Fran arrived in the car park, getting a space close to the building for once, and started to look out some books from the back of her car. Dr. Jenkins came over behind her, holding a small parcel under her nose.

"I believe it's a certain young lady's birthday today." He remarked. "Many happy returns."

"Oh, that's so sweet; you didn't have to get me anything!" She gushed, accepting the gift. She unwrapped it, finding an original copy of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. "Oh this is great! You shouldn't have, this must have cost you a fortune!"

"Actually it was just sitting on my book shelf gathering dust." He told her. "I remembered it was one of your favourites. You know I always said that books should be enjoyed, so I figured you'd get more out of it than I do."

"This is really great, thanks for this." Fran told him. "I'm really looking forward to reading this again."

"So I heard that Ms. Tennant gave you a probationary student." He stated as he helped her into the school with her supplies.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think she doesn't like me much." Fran responded in a sigh. "So who is this kid?"

"His name's Johnny Mancusso." Dr. Jennings informed her. "He's been having problems with his grades for a while now, but he didn't show any real record of misbehaviour before he came to High School. His grades dropped off quite considerably and then he started acting out."

"Acting out?" Fran asked him. "What do you mean acting out?"

"He got in a fight the first week of term." He told her. "He put a couple of the seniors in hospital. Apparently they got in an argument because he beat one of them to a spot on the wrestling team."

"You have to love High School athletics." She grumbled. "So when do I get to meet him?"

"He's in our first class this morning." He informed her. Fran just paused when he said this.

"That's the freshman class." She gasped as she realised what he had said. "He's a freshman?"

"Let's just say his pituitary gland kicked in a little early." Dr. Jennings replied. "I think that would be you now."

Fran had to crane her neck upwards to look him in the face. He towered over both of them, easily close to the six foot six mark, and had a powerful, athletic build. He had a slightly tanned complexion, and wore black jeans with a white t-shirt. Thick, jet black hair topped his head, and his eyes were hidden by dark shades. He was standing, leaning against the wall, playing with a lighter.

"Are you Mrs. Martin?" He asked her, approaching her slowly. His voice carried a bit of an accent, but was soft and quiet, inappropriately so for someone of his stature.

"Yes, I am." She replied. "Would you take your glasses off please? I like to look my students in the eyes."

He sighed and removed his classes, showing the last traces of a fading black eye.

"That looks like it was sore." She commented.

"Not as sore as what I did to the other guys." He replied with a dismissive snort. "So I just have to get you to sign my report every week?"

"I'm meant to help you get your grades up." She commented, reaching out a hand as the constant flicking of his lighter started to annoy her. He handed it over, placing his hands on his hips defiantly. "I plan on helping you, but first we just need to sort out what the problem is."

"The problem is I couldn't pass some tests!" He said a little grumpily as he followed her into the classroom. He sat down, putting his feet up on the desk. "They all say I'm dumb."

"Well the way I see it, you have two choices." Fran stated, swiping his feet off the table. Johnny looked at her, a little shocked by her refusal to back down. "You can let me help you, stay in school and prove everyone wrong, or you can keep up the attitude, get expelled and prove them all right."

She dangled the lighter in front of him and smiled.

"You can have this back if you stop playing with it and pay attention." She told him. Johnny reached out, taking the lighter and put it back into his pocket. Fran smiled at him.

"I don't think you're dumb." She told him. "I think you may have just made the first smart decision you could."

The rest of the students filed into the room, taking their seats. Fran nodded to Liv in a wordless gesture, making sure she was alright after the day before. She just waved in response and took a seat as the kids started to unpack their bags.

"Alright, today we're going to be starting a new text, something of a favourite of mine, the western classic Shane. Now, who would like to read first?" Dr. Jennings asked. None of the students offered to go first, forcing Dr. Jennings to choose someone. "Olivia, would you mind leading us off?"

At the end of the day, Fran was getting ready to take Liv to the Rock Porium to collect her belongings. She cursed under her breath as she tried and failed to start the car.

"You know I don't think you're meant to teach us to use language like that." Liv teased her as Fran tried again and again to get the engine to turn over.

"Unfortunately it looks like we might have to walk there." She grumbled as she got out the car and walked around to the hood. She grabbed it, but couldn't get it to open. Johnny attracted her attention with a small cough.

"The control to pop the hood is inside the car." He informed her. He reached in the window, springing it.

"Thanks." She responded. "What can I do for you?"

"You forgot to sign my form." He told her, handing it over, before propping open the hood. "It sounds like you've got problems."

"Yeah the fact my car has more miles on the clock than the Mir Space Station." She muttered. "I figure I'm going to have to get it into the shop soon."

Johnny reached inside, tweaking a few things, before looking around the hood to where Liv was sitting. "Try that now."

As soon as she turned the key, it spluttered a little, before firing into life. Johnny just closed the hood.

"It'll get you where you're going, but it needs a lot more than a service." He told Fran.

"Is it really that bad?" She asked him. He just sucked his teeth and shook his head.

"Put it this way, if I was a vet and this was a horse, I'd be prescribing a shotgun and a deer slug." He informed her. "It'll last a little while, but I'd seriously be looking for a new car."

"Great, that's just what I need, another huge bill." She muttered as she got back into the car. "Thanks for this Johnny, I'll see you tomorrow."

They arrived at the Rock Porium, finding a couple of police cars outside in the street. Susan was busy talking to a couple of them. It hadn't been too long ago that she was still a cop, and so she knew the officers that were there. Mr. Jenkins was standing outside, completing the scene.

"Mrs. Martin, what's going on?" Liv asked her in a slight panic. Fran didn't answer, she could probably guess that the cops being there was down to Mr. Jenkins, but she didn't want to say anything until she checked it out. She could tell that Liv was worried, and understandably so. If her suspicions were correct, he was there to try and get her back.

"What's going on here?" Fran asked him. "What's the story with the cops?"

"They're just here to make sure things run smoothly." Mr. Jenkins informed her. Susan handed her a form.

"It's a court order demanding that Liv gets returned to him." Susan told her, looking at the lawyer in disgust.

"Olivia's underage, she needs to be at home with her parent or guardian." He said with a smug look on his face as Liv started to make her way slowly towards them. "Come on Liv, it's time to go home."

"Liv, you don't need to go." Fran stated.

"Actually she does." Mr. Jenkins told her. "Since she is underage, she is legally my responsibility. If you or any of your friends have her in your home, I'll have you arrested for kidnapping. Liv, get in the car!"

"No!" Fran called out, grabbing one of the cops. "He's abusing her; can't you see that black eye?"

"Oh, that black eye? That was just an accident, wasn't it Liv?" Mr. Jenkins asked her. She stood, looking between Fran and her father nervously. Her lip quivered, and she struggled to keep from crying. Fran felt her heart sinking as Liv looked to her apologetically. Fran knew exactly what she was about to do, and could understand why, but it didn't make it any easier to hear.

"It was an accident." Liv told them. "I fell off my bike."

"You can't possibly believe that!" Fran shrieked. "Liv, I know you love him, but nothing's ever going to change if you don't stand up to him!"

"I think we're done here." Mr. Jenkins stated, opening the door to his car. Liv just hung her head and made her way into the car, strapping herself in. Fran grabbed his sleeve as he prepared to get into the car.

"Just remember what I said yesterday." Fran hissed angrily. "I'll be watching her."

"If you ever interfere with my daughter again, I'll put a restraining order on you." He sneered, ripping his sleeve out of her grip. "I doubt the school will bother maintaining your contract if you can't be within a hundred feet of one of your students."

Fran could do nothing as he slammed the door behind him and pulled away. Susan put her arm around her friend as she watched them leave. The cops all left, leaving Fran to her pain. She could do nothing but watch as Liv was returned to the man who had mistreated her so brutally. A tear leaked down her face as she felt the weight of her failure in her heart. This was easily the worst birthday ever.


	94. Italian Connection

Liv didn't say a word on the car ride back to her home. She had experienced a taste of what it was like to stay somewhere she wouldn't have to walk on eggshells, constantly terrified of painful retribution for the slightest transgressions; however that had been ripped from her the moment she saw him at the store with the cops.

She sighed as the house came into view. She hated that place. It was more of a dungeon than a home. That was where no one would see when her father when he took his belt to her. It was the place no one heard her as she screamed. It was the place where she felt the unbearable pain and crushing loneliness of her abuse.

She had loved her time away from him. Fran's understanding of her predicament let her know that there really were people in the world who cared about her, but wouldn't hurt her. Lily and RJs willingness to opening their door to her without a second thought had shown her that not all families were like hers. Unfortunately though, it had just shown her a life she was sure she'd never have.

As soon as she saw the police officers with her father, she knew there was nothing Fran could do to stop him taking her back. He didn't even need to show her the court order to know that he had once again gotten his way. He always did, he ruled her world, and she was beginning to think he always would.

She remembered the look on Fran's face as she lied to the police about her injuries. She hated to disappoint her, Fran had done so much for her, but she couldn't stand up to her father. Everyone looked up to him; he had reminded her constantly that everyone would believe him and not her. In her fear of further punishment when he inevitably got her home she had backed up his story. It was pointless to resist, she just wished it didn't hurt Fran so much that she had given in.

"Get out of the car Olivia." He ordered her as he killed the engine and activated the door control to the garage. Liv just dutifully got out of the car and waited. She looked at the door as it slammed shut with a crushing finality. She was right back where she started, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her dad got out the car and came around to face her. She looked down, feeling his eyes boring into her and knew that he had something to say.

"I bet you thought it was funny when that bitch smashed my head into the counter didn't you?" He asked her in a low voice. Liv felt her heart lifting a little as she remembered the scene. It was the first time since her mother had left that anyone had stood up for her, had put themselves on the line for her. Unlike her mother though, Fran had come out on the better end. Her father had been made to look like a fool. She shook her head gently.

"Speak up girl!" He snarled, grabbing her hair and yanking it hard. Liv screeched in pain, but did nothing to resist. "You're not a little baby. Speak!"

"No, no I didn't think it was funny!" She screamed, struggling to balance her weight so it wasn't all resting on her hair.

"Don't lie to me girl!" He spat in his anger. "I saw the look on your face; I'll bet you thought it was hilarious to see your father made to look stupid in public!"

"No, dad I didn't I swear!" She rushed out. He grabbed her school bag from the car and dragged her by the hair through to the house. Liv struggled to keep pace to ease the tension on her hair as he dragged her. He brought her up the stairs to her room. She noticed immediately that the door had been changed. It was now much heavier, and had three dead bolts and a key lock attached. Her father swung the door open and forced her to look up.

A metal grill had been screwed into place over her window, and the computer and phone had been removed. Her room was now more like a cell than a bedroom.

"No one laughs at me!" He hissed in her ear. "From now on, you come straight home after school. You do not watch TV, you do not use the internet, and you do nothing but study. Maybe then you'll get your grades up and stop being an embarrassment to me."

He threw her inside, dumping her on the floor in a heap. Liv sobbed as she looked around her room.

"You'll need these." He told her, throwing her bag onto the floor next to her. "Welcome home sweetheart."

Liv just curled into a phoetal ball, hugging her knees to her chest and wept as she heard the locks being snapped into place. She was foolish to think that she could escape her father. She knew that she was destined to suffer.

Susan had closed the store early following the altercation earlier and took Fran to JKP. She could see how upset she had been over the whole incident, and opted to try and help cheer her up on what was left of her birthday.

As Fran arrived, Theo greeted her with a hug. Susan had called him to explain the situation and get him to the restaurant. She knew Fran would need her friends tonight.

"It's alright Fran." He said soothingly, rubbing her back. "You tried."

"I really thought I could help her." Fran whispered quietly, wiping her eyes as they parted. "I thought I could get her away from her dad and get him help but..."

"It's alright Fran; we know you did everything you could." Lily chipped in, coming over to hug her friend. "It's not your fault."

"It feels like it." She grumbled as they took her upstairs to the apartment. "I tried to help, but it feels like all I've done is made things worse for her."

"Fran, nothing can happen until Liv makes a complaint, you know that." Susan told her as they arrived. RJ was wandering around with David strapped to his chest in the papoose. He had started to cook a considerable amount of food when he realised they were throwing an impromptu party to cheer Fran up following what happened. "Without Liv making a complaint and letting the cops see her injuries, they can't do anything about it."

"I know, I just thought...I just thought I had gotten through to her." Fran complained loudly. "I hate to think that she's gone back to him. He's going to hurt her again, I just know it!"

"Fran, you did everything you could." Theo reminded her.

"Well it wasn't enough!" She roared, slamming a hand onto the table. "She's gone back to him and she's going to be hurt again and because of some dumb ass cops I can't do a thing about it!"

"Fran, please try to calm down." Casey told her, stepping forward from the table and holding her. "This won't do the baby any good."

"You can't save everyone by yourself." RJ reminded her. "Liv has to help herself, if she can't do that..."

"I became a teacher so I could help kids, to be there for them like no one was for me." She interrupted him as her tears began to fall. "What's the point if I can't even help one girl?"

"Fran, if you take on everyone's problems as your own personal responsibility you're going to burn out." RJ reminded her. "Liv's a bright girl; she'll figure it out eventually."

"What am I meant to do in the meantime?" She asked them.

"Help the ones you can." Theo replied, holding her hand. "What about that Johnny kid you were talking about?"

"Oh, Mr. Klepto-Pyro-Anti-Social maniac?" She asked him. "He's a kid who's not even in his late teens who already has restraining orders and a criminal record."

"You know it usually takes people a few years to become that cynical." Susan teased her. "You wouldn't want to become Ms. Tennant would you?"

"You can't and you won't let one bad experience stop you trying to help these kids." Theo told her. "Your heart's too big for that, it's one of the reasons I love you."

"But he's a punk..."

"I was kind of a punk as a kid." Casey reminded her. "Until Master Mao came and straightened me out, I was a little messed up. Sometimes all it takes is someone who believes in you."

"Anyway, you've spent enough time worrying about others. Its time you took a little time to celebrate." RJ told her, lighting a few candles as he brought some pasta to the table. "Happy Birthday Fran."

In Blue Bay Harbour, Gabby was coming close to the end of her first week at university, and found it to her liking. She had made a few friends, the teachers seemed cool, and most of all, she loved living with Mark and his boyfriend Stephen.

As she came to the gates following her day, she found Mark and Dustin waiting for her, standing with huge grins on their faces. She approached them with a little skip in her step.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked them. "I said I'd meet you at the track."

"Well the thing is, we thought you might like to see this." Dustin told her as they stepped apart. Gabby smiled as she saw a dirt bike behind them. It was dirty, and had seen better days, but it looked to be exactly her size.

"What is this?" She asked them.

"I knew a guy who was getting rid of his first bike, he was upgrading." Dustin told her. "It's not exactly brand new, but..."

"It's amazing." She whispered, running her hand across it. "You bought this?"

"Actually you did." He told her. "Or...rather you will once you pay me back the 300 dollars I paid for it."

"300 dollars?" She asked him a little sceptically. She had only been involved in the Motocross scene a little over a week, but even she knew what things were worth.

"He wanted a quick sale." Dustin told her. "It needs a little TLC, but Hunter, Blake and I can help you with that."

"It's amazing!" She shrieked, hugging them both warmly. "I can't believe you did this for me!"

"Hey, anything for fellow petrol head." Dustin replied with a shrug. "Now, how do you feel about getting to the track and seeing what this baby has left in her?"

"That sounds great." She responded. "Thanks guys."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Fran made her way to school in her car, a little more aware of the rattles and creaks in it than usual. She could remember Johnny telling her that it was on its last legs, but it wasn't as if she could afford a replacement on her salary. Hell, even the heap of crap she was driving in had been stretching the budget.

As she pulled into the parking lot, she found a group of students huddled around in a mass, pointing and laughing. She could hear Ms. Tennant's voice ranting, even over the other noise as she parked the car. She got out and pushed her way through the crowd, finding out why she was upset. Her car was propped up on bricks, and the wheels had been stolen.

"I want to know who's responsible for this!" She roared as the students laughed. Fran had to try hard not to laugh herself; it wasn't as though there was a lack of suspects. Everyone at school hated the principal, even most of the teachers. "Tell me now or there'll be a full locker search!"

No one owned up. Fran looked to Johnny, thinking about how he had fixed her car. He wasn't showing any signs of guilt, but he was a habitual trouble maker. She knew that from his record. He was probably one of the few she could imagine would be capable of such a feat.

"That's it, everyone in the school right now!" She roared. "I will personally search every locker until I find the culprit!"

The students started to file into the school as she stormed into the building with the janitor to begin the searches. Fran grabbed Johnny's sleeve to stop him.

"Please tell me I'm wrong." Fran begged him. He ripped his arm away.

"That heap of shit car? I wouldn't get a hundred bucks for the wheels." He told her with a dismissive snort. "Hell, I wouldn't get a hundred for the whole damn car!"

"Johnny, I'm serious." She told him. "This is serious; this could land you in juvenile hall!"

"I didn't do it OK?" He barked at her. "Sure, Ms. Tennant's got it out for me because I screwed up a few tests and got in a few fights but I'm not dumb."

"I didn't say you were." Fran responded apologetically. "Johnny, I'm sorry to ask, but you do know a lot about cars..."

"I know a lot about a lot of stuff but that doesn't matter to anyone!" He yelled at her. "I do well in lab, I do well in shop class, but all anyone cares about is I don't get good scores on paper! Everyone says I'm useless and writes me off as a loser!"

"Calm down Johnny, that temper's what got you in trouble remember?" She answered him. "I believe you and..."

She was interrupted as Ms. Tennant grabbed him and spun him around to face her, before shoving a jack under his nose.

"This was found in your locker!" She stated harshly. She removed it, but replaced it with a wheel spider. "So was this."

"Those aren't mine." He stated bluntly.

"They were in your locker." She reminded him. "Your shop teacher told us you're the top of his class..."

"They're not mine!" He yelled loudly, bearing down on her. Fran was worried that he was doing his defence no good by trying to physically intimidate her. "I stay at my uncle Vinnie's place; he owns a wrecker's yard. Why would I keep tools in my locker? If I want them, I'd just borrow them from his workshop!"

"I guess you just didn't have time to dispose of the evidence." She replied casually. "Now, get the wheels to my car and put them back on."

"Lady, I have no idea what happened to your God damned wheels!" He screamed at her. Fran placed herself between him and Ms. Tennant before he could do something he'd regret.

"Johnny, calm down." She told him.

"Lady, without a bed lift, do you have any idea how long it'd take me to take off all four wheels single-handed?" He asked her. "It couldn't happen!"

"I didn't say you did it single handed." She replied in a dry tone. "Who was involved?"

"I don't know!" He replied. "God, and you think I'm a moron? You really are a stupid piece of..."

"Johnny, back it down!" Fran warned him. Two cops arrived behind him, at which he let out a sigh.

"The police will get the truth from you." Ms. Tennant warned him. "You don't have to worry about being expelled Mr. Mancuso, you'll be lucky if you don't end up in juvenile hall."

"I didn't do it!" He snarled as the cops cuffed him. Normally it wouldn't have been necessary for someone his age, but given his massive size, they were taking no chances. He was already bigger than both the arresting officers. Fran noticed him looking at a couple of seniors sniggering in the sidelines. One of them had his arm in a sling. Johnny lunged towards them, but the cops kept him under control.

"I'll get you for this Hennessey!" He screamed as the cops pulled him away, pushing him into the patrol car.

"I'll go with him." She told Ms. Tennant.

"Don't waste your time with that delinquent." She sneered. "He's destined for a career in crime."

"Maybe that's because everyone gave up on him." Fran replied defiantly, getting into the patrol car. Ms. Tennant just snorted as they took the teenager away. In the car, Johnny just smiled and leant back into the seat.

"I want my phone call." He told them. "Call Mr. Jenkins, my attorney. Tell him Johnny Mancuso wants to call in a favour."

Fran just looked at him curiously as he said this. She never would have thought he'd even know Mr. Jenkins, much less have any kind of hold over him. Why would he expect him to act as his attorney?

When they arrived at the station, the cops sat Johnny down in the waiting area while they processed his papers. One of the desk clerks made the call to Mr. Jenkins. Fran leaned across to him, placing a hand on his knee.

"I believe you; I don't think you did it." She told him. "How do you know Mr. Jenkins?"

"I just do." He replied with a shrug. Fran hated the fact he was so defensive.

"What makes you think he'll defend you?" She asked him. He just smiled.

"Sometimes, it's not about who you know." He told her cryptically. "It's what you know."

Just then, Mr. Jenkins came into the station and looked over at Johnny, before approaching the desk.

"Has my client been read his Miranda Rights?" He asked.

"Excuse me..."

"Did anyone say this to you?" Mr. Jenkins asked Johnny, showing him a card. Johnny just shook his head.

"Has an appropriate adult been contacted to sit in on his interview?" He asked. The desk Sergeant just held up his hands and shook his head in confusion. "My client has been improperly processed, if you proceed in filing these charges I will not only get the case thrown out of court, but I will proceed with a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment. Please release him."

One of the cops just sheepishly approached Johnny, unlocking his handcuffs, before Mr. Jenkins left with him. Fran got outside to see Johnny talking to him.

"Thanks for that, you did great..."

Mr. Jenkins shoved him roughly against the wall, though because of the size difference, it didn't faze Johnny in the slightest. He just looked at him.

"Listen up boy; I got your ass out the fire today!" He hissed aggressively. "Don't push your luck."

"You're the one who's pushing it!" Johnny replied. "You forget a little matter about that car of yours..."

Mr. Jenkins slapped him hard. Fran covered her mouth to stop her yelp being heard. She could never have seen Mr. Jenkins lashing out like that at someone that could fight back. Johnny was much bigger than him, and would easily eat him alive. He just stared though.

"I could have the cops search your Uncle's yard and I'm sure they'd find a lot of stuff that isn't meant to be there." He stated. "Don't you dare try to threaten me again boy!"

As he left, Fran could only pause and ponder what she had seen. What could they have been talking about? Whatever it was, their conversation had indicated one thing. Mr. Perfect, Mr. Jenkins had a flaw, a secret to hide. One Johnny had used against him. She had to find out what that was. Maybe then she could help Liv escape her torment.


	95. Johnny's Salvation

After seeing the argument outside the police station, Fran decided it was best not to confront Johnny right then. Instead, she just followed him as he made his way home. She knew after spending the morning at the police station he wouldn't return to school.

She found herself at a breaker's yard a little way from the edge of town. It was ironic considering the fact she'd likely be going there in the near future anyway to sell her car for scrap. Johnny walked up to a man who was working on a car, stripping it for parts.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as Johnny walked up to him. "You're meant to be at school."

"The head sent me to the cops. She thought I stole her wheels." He replied. The man just frowned at him, before slapping the massive teenager hard. They both started speaking to each other rapidly in Italian. While she didn't know much, she knew that it was far from friendly, and riddled with expletives.

She made her way into the yard as the older man walked away. Johnny looked up, seeing her.

"Mrs. Martin?" He asked, a little surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering how you know Mr. Jenkins." She replied with a shrug. Johnny just laughed.

"Like I said, it's not who you know..."

"I want to know what you know about him." Fran interrupted him aggressively. Johnny looked at her a little startled. "I'm interested to know how one of the best lawyers in the city can be hired for a misdemeanour case pro bono."

"He's a friend." Johnny stated. Fran just shook her head.

"He doesn't make friends with people like you." She told him. "You know something about him, and I want to know what."

"He just..."

"You know that black eye he has?" Fran interrupted him before he could lie to him. "I gave him that. He isn't the wonderful person everyone thinks he is..."

"He's a jackass!" Johnny snorted. "If he wasn't we wouldn't have swapped his car!"

"Swapped it?" Fran asked. "What does that mean?"

"He has the same licence plates and engine block numbers, but that car he's driving ain't his!" He responded.

"What do you mean?" She asked him. Johnny drew himself to full height, trying to intimidate her.

"I've already told you too much." He told her. "Now, get out of here or..."

"Or what? You'll beat me up?" She asked him in a taunting tone. "Go on then tough guy."

"I don't hit girls." He sneered, turning away from her. Fran moved around in front of him, blocking his path.

"Why not?" She asked him. "Are you afraid of us?"

"I'm not afraid of anyone!" He snapped aggressively. "Hitting a girl means nothing."

"Of course beating up a couple of seniors makes you a tough guy." Fran replied. "You know what that makes you in my eyes? It makes you a loser."

"Don't call me that!" He warned her.

"You're a loser Johnny!" She continued, prodding him in the chest with her finger. "Do you know what makes you a loser? It isn't the fact you're dumb, I can see that you're not! It isn't the fact that you're weak, I know you aren't, and those assholes you beat up can attest to that."

"Don't call me a loser!" He warned her at the top of his lungs, his face turning red. She could see his hands twitching, preparing to strike her, though his upbringing wouldn't allow him to lash out at her. She was a woman, and more than that, she was a pregnant woman. He wouldn't raise a hand to her, no matter how much she angered him.

"Do you want to know what makes you a loser?" Fran asked him quietly, drawing closer. She leaned in, whispering in his ear. "You let everyone else make your decisions."

"You don't know shit about me lady!" He scoffed as he stepped away. "No one tells me what to do..."

"Your dad sent you here from Beverly Hills because you kept getting hassle from the cops." She began. "You let Mr. Jenkins slap you..."

"I'd beat the shit out of him in a second..."

"But you didn't!" Fran interrupted him. "Why?"

He paused at that. He didn't know why, but she had caught on to something with that.

"You don't like violence against women right?" Fran asked him. Johnny just shook his head.

"Beating on someone weaker than you means nothing." He told her. "There's no honour in beating on someone that can't fight back."

"Mr. Jenkins doesn't think so." Fran told him. "Do you know Liv?"

"The munchkin who hides in the corner and barely speaks?" He asked her. Fran nodded in response. "Yeah, I know her."

"She's his daughter." Fran informed him. "He beats her badly. When I found out, she could barely walk."

Johnny just looked to the floor and sighed. He couldn't believe this new information. Fran snapped her fingers, bringing him back to attention.

"What do you know about him?" Fran asked him.

"Look, I don't talk about...."

"So you're entirely cool with the fact he beats her?" Fran asked him. Johnny looked at her dumbfounded.

"He hits her?" He asked. He took a second before shrugging it off. "Well..."

"It's wrong and you know it!" Fran told him. "I've looked at your records. I know you're not dumb, why do you want people to think you are?"

"I don't!" He roared. "Of course I don't want people to think I'm dumb! They just do! I can strip, clean and put together an engine in two minutes and no one cares! I can put together a chemical reaction..."

"It's your written tests you have problems with." Fran interrupted him. "You can't read..."

"Of course I can read!" He snapped. "I'm not stupid..."

"Far from it, you've been very smart to get by with no one figuring out the problem." She interrupted him. "When you read, you have problems, the words and the letters keep moving around on the page right? They don't make sense."

"That's right." He gasped as she said it.

"You can repair engines because it was shown to you manually." She told him. "You can do lab experiments you've seen, it's only reading that's a problem."

"I'm not dumb..."

"No you aren't." She told him. "You have dyslexia. It's a reading disorder. It's nothing to do with intelligence."

"You...don't think I'm stupid?" He asked her weakly.

"That depends on you." She replied. "What do you know about Mr. Jenkins? Why did he defend you?"

"He...had problems with his car." Johnny told her.

"Could you be more specific?" Fran asked him.

"I told you Uncle Vinnie runs a wreckers yard right?" He asked her. Fran nodded. "Sometimes he does...cash in hand jobs."

"You mean illegal." Fran asked him. Johnny nodded.

"Mr. Jenkins came in and said he needed his car switched." He told her. "We changed over the engine block numbers and license plates to an identical car."

"Why did he do that?" Fran asked him.

"We don't ask on those jobs." He replied. "People pay us cash in hand because they don't want a record of the job. Not to mention switching a vehicle is illegal..."

"So he's driving an illegal car?" Fran asked him.

"Only if the cops find the cube his old car is now." He replied. "He..."

"Is it still here?" Fran asked him, grabbing his shirt. Johnny stared at her nervously and nodded.

"It'll be somewhere in the back." He told her. "Come with me."

He led Fran through the yard, until he got to a pile of cubes that used to be cars. She approached one pile.

"Where is his?" She asked him.

"It'll be in the April column." Johnny told her. "It's over there."

Fran went over to the pile Johnny had pointed to, and her heart almost stopped beating right there.

"How often does anyone come down here?" She asked him.

"No one does." Johnny told her. "Once cars get shredded, no one cares."

"I do." Fran replied, running her fingers across the column. "Johnny, call the police."

"Are you nuts?" He asked her. "If they came here..."

"I doubt they'll care about a few knocked off car parts." Fran told him, holding up her hand for him to see. He stepped back as he saw her hand. "Mrs. Martin, is that...blood?"


	96. Mr Jenkins' Karma

The police set about the mass of steel with power tools as Fran and Johnny watched on. Given the nature of his Uncle Vinnie's business, he was a little nervous. The owner just wandered around, hoping the cops didn't look too closely at much of the wreckage. Of course, since the cube they were working on had leaked blood, they weren't really interested in anything else.

Fran nudged the massive teenager as he watched the cops working and took his hand gently.

"I'm going to help you Johnny, I promise." She assured him.

"What can you do?" He asked her. "None of the others helped me; they just turned their noses up..."

"Johnny, the others didn't realise what the problem was." She told him. "I'll give you a test, but I'm certain we'll confirm my theory."

"So this dyslexia thing, can it be cured?" He asked her. Fran shook her head.

"It's not like that, it isn't a disease." She informed him. "It's a disorder, you've always had it, and you always will."

"So there's nothing you can do?" He asked her. Fran shook her head.

"It isn't like that. There are things that can be done." She told him. "There are books that are easier to read, the paper the words are printed on is different so the words don't move about the same. You can wear glasses that will help, but more than that, now we know your curriculum can be altered to accommodate your condition."

"So I'm not dumb?" He asked her. Fran smiled at him.

"Like I said, if anything you've been incredibly smart to make it this far without anyone figuring it out." She told him. "I only figured it out because I can see you aren't stupid, and you don't slack off. Your practical lessons you score well in, but your written lessons you have problems with."

"I always thought I was stupid." He told her. "Everyone else found it all so easy; I just got so frustrated when I couldn't keep up."

"Like I said, I'll help you." Fran told him. Just then, one of the cops came over to them.

"Son, you'll need to get your Uncle over here." He told Johnny. "It's a lot more serious than we thought."

"What happened?" Fran asked him. "Was it a hit and run or something?"

"I'm afraid not." He told her as a coroner's van arrived. "We found remains in the vehicle. This is now a murder investigation."

Over in Blue Bay Harbour, Gabby finished her circuit of the track, getting accustomed to her bike. It was a little less powerful than the one she had been borrowing from Storm Chargers, and the handling was a little loose, but all things considered, it wasn't bad for a cheap second-hand bike.

She skidded to a halt by Dustin and flipped up her visor, smiling at him.

"This bike's great!" She screeched in her excitement. "You really nailed a bargain!"

"Well like I said, it needs a little work, but it was a good price." He told her. "Hunter will help you with some tuning, and I'm sure Kelley will be able to sort you out with some decent parts."

"That would be amazing!" She replied as she ran her hands across the handlebars. "I never thought I'd be able to get my own bike so soon."

"Just take it easy while you learn." He reminded her. "We'll show you everything we can."

"Anyway, it's about time we were heading back." Gabby told Mark as she took off the helmet and shook her hair loose. "Stephen will never forgive us if were late for his latest masterpiece."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Mr. Jenkins unlocked the door to Liv's room, letting her out. The girl just cowered away from him as he opened the door.

"It's dinner time Olivia." He told her. "I made a pretty mean curry."

Liv nodded and smiled as she got out of the room, making her way past him quietly. She didn't want to give him any reason to lash out. There was a knock at the door as they got downstairs.

"Who could be calling at this time?" He asked aloud. He opened the door to find Johnny, Fran and a couple of cops standing outside.

"Mr. Jenkins, are you the owner of a black BMW?" The police officer asked him. He almost panicked, realising that the secret he had kept for close to a year might be about to come out, but he composed himself.

"I do." He replied. "It's in the garage."

"Sir, I'll need to see that car." He told him. Mr. Jenkins led them to the garage and opened the door. Liv came out to see what was happening.

"Is everything in order?" He asked. The police officer checked the license plate, before tapping the hood.

"I need to see the engine block number." The cop told him. Mr. Jenkins opened it, showing him the engine.

"Can I ask what this is about?" He asked them. The police officer just nodded.

"We believe we've found your wife." He told the lawyer. "Her remains were found in a wrecker's yard not far from here."

"Mom's dead?" Liv asked weakly. She looked to Fran, her lip quivering at the news. Mr. Jenkins made his way over to put his arm around her.

"She was found in a car like yours that had been crushed. It looks like she was in the trunk when it was crushed." The police officer told him. "Do you know anyone that would want to harm her?"

"I can't think of anyone." He replied. Liv looked up at him a little uneasily. She had believed her mother had abandoned her, left her to face her father's abuse alone. Now though she knew that she hadn't simply run away. She was dead.

"Check inside." Johnny told the cop. "It isn't his car. He paid us to switch it with the one that was crushed."

"Dad?" Liv asked him, moving away from him. Mr. Jenkins just scoffed.

"Are you really going to believe some punk kid over me?" He asked the cop.

"No, he's going to believe your owner's manual." Johnny told him. "I knew you were a piece of work but I never thought you'd sink to this."

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Jenkins asked in a small, weak laugh.

"Your car never had a cigarette lighter." Johnny responded. "This one does."

The police officer looked inside, confirming what Johnny had said. He turned back to the lawyer.

"Dad?" Liv asked him weakly; beginning to comprehend what was going on. "You...you killed mom?"

"He brought the car to us almost a year ago and paid us to switch it for an identical one." Johnny told the cop. "We shredded the old one, that was the one you found."

"Mr. Jenkins, you have the right..."

Mr. Jenkins started to make a break for the door, but Johnny was too quick. He grabbed him, manhandling him to the ground and holding him there while the cops handcuffed him. Liv looked at him in disbelief.

"You killed mom?" Liv asked him. Mr. Jenkins started to weep as he was pulled to his feet. "You beat her so much you killed her?"

"I didn't mean it; I never wanted her to die." He sobbed as he recalled the event. "I only slapped her, but she fell over. She hit her head on the way down, she just stopped breathing."

"You killed mom!" Liv sobbed as she realised what he had done. "You beat her so much..."

"She was a screw up!" He snapped in response. "She kept embarrassing me; she kept holding us back and..."

"Like I do?" Liv asked him incredulously. "Was that what was going to happen to me?"

Fran held the girl as she confronted her father over his mistreatment of them. She had been battered into submission by him for so long; she just accepted that her life was one of pain and suffering. Now though, she realised for the first time how truly evil he was. He had killed his own wife.

"It was an accident!" He yelled. Liv pulled off her jumper, revealing her injuries to the police officers. They almost looked like they were going to be sick as they saw the cuts and bruises covering most of her torso.

"These weren't an accident!" She roared at him, tears streaming down her face. "What you did to mom on a daily basis wasn't an accident!"

"Olivia be quiet!" He barked at her. She just shook her head.

"I've been quiet for too long." She whispered. "Maybe if mom and I had spoken up earlier she'd still be alive."

"Olivia, it was..."

"Stop calling it an accident!" Olivia screamed at him. "You might not have meant to kill her, but if you hadn't hit her it would never have happened!"

She turned to one of the officers and put an arm around Fran, pulling her in tightly. She looked into a man's eyes for what felt like the first time in her life.

"My dad did this to me and he hit mom." Liv told them.

"Are you prepared to make a statement?" The cop asked her. Mr. Jenkins looked at his daughter, wordlessly begging her to back him up. She just nodded.

"I will." She replied. One of the officers dragged him away, making sure he read him his rights properly. Johnny turned to the other cop.

"What about me?" He asked him. "What about the car?"

"It's your Uncle's yard, and it's his first offence...as far as we know." He replied. "I'm sure the court will work something out with him. Something tells me they'll not be that interested in an illegal car. We'll need a statement from both you and Olivia though, and you will need an appropriate adult..."

"I'll come with them." Fran told him. She put her arms around Liv and pulled her into her chest, allowing her to weep as the weight of the situation hit her. The nightmare of her abuse "I'll take care of you Liv. I don't know what we're going to do but I promise you that you'll be taken care of."

Johnny looked around awkwardly as he beheld the scene before him. He didn't really know Liv well, but he was glad to have helped. As much as it was hard for her to watch her father being dragged away in handcuffs, he was glad to see it. Anyone who mistreated his flesh and blood so callously deserved to face judgement for his crimes.

"You did a good thing Johnny." Fran told him. "Thank you."

Up at the Temple, Dominic was busy arranging his luggage for the weekend. It hadn't been long since he had last seen Gabby, but every day felt like an eternity. Jarrod came into the room, tapping him on the shoulder.

"You do know its three days until you go right?" He asked him.

"I know, I just can't wait." He replied. "I know she sent a letter and we've talked on the phone, but it just isn't the same."

"Well I couldn't be happier for you both that you'll be getting some time together." Jarrod told him. "Things are going pretty well for this family."

"You bet they are mister." Susan chipped in as she arrived. "So have you told him yet?"

"Told me what?" Dom asked in response. Jarrod just smiled as he prepared for the announcement.

"I'll need to tell Casey soon, but the family's about to get a little bigger." He told his older brother. "We're having a baby."

"Jarrod, that's amazing news, congratulations!" Dominic yelled as he hugged his sister-in-law and Jarrod both tightly. "You aren't freaking out again are you?"

"No, this time, I kind of feel like I'm ready for it." He replied with a huge grin on his face. "I can't wait to be a dad."

"You'll make a great dad, I just know it." Dominic assured him.

Fran came into JKP with Liv close by her. Lily and RJ came over, a little curious as they saw her.

"Liv?" RJ asked her. Fran held her in a comforting gesture.

"She needs somewhere to stay." Fran told them. "Would you be able to take her?"

"What about your dad?" Lily asked her. Fran looked down to the young girl, but she just shook her head.

"You'll hear about it soon enough." She whispered, her voice cracking under the strain. "Dad's been arrested."

"You told them what he did to you?" RJ asked her. Liv couldn't answer; it was still too soon for her to be able to talk about it. Fran just shook her head, indicating that now wasn't the time to press the matter.

"Come on, I'll take you upstairs." Lily told the young girl. "Your room's just the way you left it."

As Lily led her away, RJ came over to Fran's side and put an arm around her, watching Lily take her upstairs.

"What happened?" He asked her. "What's going on?"

"It turns out her mom didn't just skip town." Fran informed him. "Her dad hit her one too many times."

"Oh my God, the poor kid!" RJ gasped, struggling to comprehend what Fran had told him. "She has to be devastated."

"At least he can't hurt her anymore." Fran replied. "Not where he's going."

"It's not going to be an easy road for her." RJ told her. "She's going to need a lot of good friends around her."

"She doesn't have anyone else." Fran informed him. "Sorry to ask..."

"You don't have to, we'll be only too glad to help." He told her in a sigh. "She's going to need everyone she can get."

"Thanks RJ." Fran replied, hugging her old friend. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, Liv's a great kid, I'll help her any way I can." He told her. "You know, that kid of yours is really lucky. The way you've looked out for her, I just know you'll be an amazing mom."

"Thanks RJ." She replied with a grin. "That really means a lot."

As much as she hated the thought that Liv had lost her mother, and that it would be a long road for Liv to walk to rebuild her life, she was pleased to know that she had helped, and she was determined to be there for her every step of the way. She was determined that Liv would never have to face her problems alone again.


	97. Liv Says Goodbye

It had now been three days since Liv had found out the truth about what happened to her mother. She had, for understandable reasons, been excused from school while arrangements were made for a memorial service.

Lily came into her room, carrying David as she beheld the young girl, just staring into the mirror sadly. She knew what it was like to lose a parent, but she couldn't imagine what she was going through, knowing that her mother was dead because of her father.

Her head raised only a little as she heard the door closing.

"My sheets are in the laundry." She muttered weakly. She still hadn't gotten over her insecurity and her fear. She still had images of her father coming back. She was still having a lot of problems adjusting to her new life.

"I don't care about that." Lily assured her. "Is that how you're going?"

Liv looked down at her clothes and sighed. She knew it was customary to dress up for a funeral, and also that it was customary to dress in black. She couldn't do both. She was wearing a pair of black jeans and an Alice Cooper t-shirt, her only black t-shirt.

"I don't have anything else to wear." She sighed sadly. "I know it's not great but..."

"It's alright, it'll be fine." Lily assured her, coming closer and holding her in a one-armed hug. "It'll just be us and the minister. No one will think about it..."

Liv slammed her fist into the wall. Lily realised her mistake.

"It's not fair!" Liv sobbed as Lily held her closely. "Mom loved me. She was a great person, but that bastard killed her and no one even cares!"

"I care." Lily assured her, holding her tightly to her, hearing the girl's sobs. "Fran cares, and RJ cares. We all care, and we always will..."

"What's going to happen to me?" Liv asked her, looking up through red eyes, wide with fear.

"You can stay here until we figure out something." Lily assured her. She looked down to David and smiled as she thought of something.

"It'll be a while before you get to eat again, I should sort out something for breakfast." She told her, presenting David to the teenager. "Hold him for a while, I'll get started."

"Mrs. James, I don't know..."

"Here, just make sure you have your arm ready to support his head if he gets tired." Lily assured her, showing her how to hold her son. "He'll be alright..."

"...Mrs. James, I can't, I don't know..."

He murmured gently as Lily handed him over, settling into Liv's arms. Liv looked down on him in a mixture of wonder and curiosity.

"He trusts you." Lily told her. "I know you won't betray that trust."

Liv tried to protest, but Lily ignored her. She looked down on the little boy and felt something she hadn't done in a long time. She felt important. He relied on her to keep him safe. He relied on her to keep him from harm. In many ways, she was now in the position her dad had been. She could hurt, even kill the child if she wanted to, but she couldn't. All she could feel was affection.

He opened his eyes, looking up to her. She smiled at him, showing her braces, and he grimaced a little. He suddenly started to whimper, before letting out a hellish scream.

"Mama! Mama!" He screeched, attracting Lily's attention. Lily ran over, finding Liv holding him out from her, though still securely, in her panic.

"I didn't do anything!" She screamed. "He...."

"He's just a little nervous around others." Lily assured her, taking David from her. Almost as soon as Lily took him back, he quietened his protests and settled down. Lily looked to her and smiled. "It's nothing against you."

"I guess so." Liv replied sadly. She slumped down onto the couch as RJ came into the room. He was going to say something about the kitchen, but Lily signalled him to keep quiet and deal with it himself. It was only natural that this was a hard day for the girl.

"We'll be there for you." She assured her. "We'll be there for you through it all."

"What about Mrs. Martin?" She asked her. Lily just nodded.

"Fran will be there." She told her. "She'll be there."

Meanwhile, Fran and Dr. Jennings were finishing up with one class and waiting for the seniors. The students left and they were left alone.

"Are you sure you don't need me?" Fran asked him. Dr. Jennings nodded in response.

"If I kept you away, that would be a greater injustice than what her father did to her." He replied. "Lord knows, I really felt like a drink when that news broke."

Just as Fran was about to comment, Johnny knocked on the door, raising their attention. Fran looked around, finding him there.

"Mrs. Martin, I was wondering if you knew how that test turned out." He told her. Fran looked to Dr. Jennings, who just shrugged.

"I have the results." Fran told him, gesturing to a desk. Dr. Jennings just whispered in her ear before leaving, reminding her of her prior engagement. "It's like I thought, you have dyslexia."

He smiled a little, almost relieved to hear the news. It felt good to finally know what the problem was. Something that everyone else seemed to grasp without a problem was just alien to him. It felt good to know that not everyone thought he was just hopelessly stupid as many, including himself, had started to believe.

"So what do we do now?" He asked her. "I'm not going to have to go to dumb kid classes am I?"

"No, you won't have to go to remedial classes." Fran assured him. "Your grades, while not exactly brilliant, don't warrant that. There are a few other options I'd like to explore first."

"Like what?" He asked her.

"For a start, we're just going to take a little more time over your assignments." She told him, looking through some paperwork. "We should be able to get by..."

"I don't want to get by!" He snapped aggressively. Fran looked up at him a little stunned by his outburst. "I've been getting by all this time. I just want to be normal. I just want to get some good grades and not have to have everyone treat me like an idiot all the time."

"Johnny..."

"My mom and dad thought I was dumb, that's why they sent me out here!" He interrupted her passionately. "My uncle thinks I'm dumb, that's why he's trying to get me to take up his business. All the others..."

"You're not dumb Johnny, I keep telling you that." Fran cut him off. "You need to stop caring what other people think. It's that attitude that got you into trouble so many times."

"I just don't want everyone to treat me like a punk." He complained. "Everyone looks down their noses at me. Even the other kids..."

"So your solution is to start throwing fists until people notice you?" Fran asked him. "You know, people do notice you, but not for the right reasons. They notice you because you lash out like that. That's why people think you're a loser."

"So what am I meant to do? Just let people insult me and disrespect me?" He asked her.

"Exactly." She responded.

"But..."

"Those kids you beat up before. They didn't respect you; they insulted you because you beat them for a spot on the wrestling team right?" She pressed on.

"No but..."

"It was them that set you up for taking Ms. Tennant's wheels wasn't it?" Fran asked him. Johnny just nodded. "It looks like that ass kicking you gave them really made a difference."

He just held his head in his hands as he realised she was right. They had tried to set him up as revenge for the fight.

"They didn't respect you then, and they still don't." Fran told him. "So what's the point?"

"So what do I do?" He asked her. "To get my grades up I mean."

"That's probably the smartest decision you've made." She replied. "I could arrange a little tutoring for you, and I even have a little idea how to curb that temper of yours. Have you heard of the advanced study programme that runs in Las Vegas?"

"You want to send me to Vegas?" He asked her. Fran just looked at him over the top of her glasses.

"No. One of my friends, Dr. Oliver started a programme in his school that helps kids get their grades up. You like sports right?" She asked him.

"Of course." He told her.

"How do you feel about Martial Arts?" She asked him. He looked at her a little puzzled.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her.

"I talked to a friend of mine; he runs the local pizza restaurant JKP." She told him. "He's looking for staff. If you work there a couple of shifts a week, he's willing to give you Kung Fu lessons."

"I used to work in my dad's restaurant." He told her, thinking about her offer. "As much as I like cars, I hate working in my uncle's yard. All I do there is take the useful stuff out of cars before they're shredded."

"So you'll consider it?" Fran asked him. "I know RJ's looking forward to the idea of getting another student."

"How is this going to get my grades up?" He asked her.

"I know that when I was training, it helped me to concentrate. The discipline involved in Kung Fu really focuses the mind." She told him. She could see he still wasn't entirely convinced. "How about I make you a deal? We try it for a month, and if you don't find anything improving, we'll call it quits and you'll have a few extra bucks in your pocket."

She shifted a little closer, smiling at him. "I worked there for a while, and I can tell you, the tips can be pretty good."

"I'll give it a shot." He replied. "I'll talk to Uncle Vinnie."

"I'll tell RJ, we'll see when we can sort out your first shift." Fran told him. "I'll start your tutoring tomorrow."

"Can't we do some stuff today?" He asked her as the first of his students arrived for the first lesson. "I can stay after school for a while and..."

"Sorry, I'm taking the afternoon off." She told him. "It's the memorial service for Mrs. Jenkins this afternoon."

"Liv's mom?" He asked her. Fran just nodded. "Tell her I'm thinking about her."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that." She replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Johnny just smiled and left the room as the last of the seniors arrived. His arm was still in a sling, and he deliberately bumped into Johnny as he left. Johnny looked at him, his face telling Fran all she needed to know, but he turned to her and relaxed, before leaving without another word. Fran smiled, feeling a sense of pride that her words seemed to have an effect on him.

"Whenever you're ready to take a seat Mr. Lancaster, we'd like to begin." Dr. Jennings told him. The student just sheepishly made his way to his seat, but his buddies shared a laugh with him about Johnny's apparent cowardice. Fran knew that they would likely cast it up to him later. She just hoped Johnny would take the right track and stay out of trouble.

At midday, Lily took Liv down to the park, finding Fran waiting outside for them. She looked down on Liv sympathetically and hugged her.

"We're here for you." She reminded her, holding her. Liv nodded, appreciating the gesture. Lily put a hand on her shoulder and showed her the urn that held her mother's remains. The police had finished their investigation and had released her body. Given the circumstances, it seemed best to cremate her.

"Let's find a nice spot for her." Lily said gently. Liv just nodded and went with them into the park. Fran and Lily walked a little way behind her.

"How's she holding up?" Fran asked her. Lily sighed in response.

"She's about as good as we can expect." Lily replied in a whisper. "She's still really messed up over everything. She wet the bed again last night."

"I'm not surprised, the poor kid." Fran commented as Liv looked around for the perfect place to scatter the ashes. "What about the case?"

"Her dad's been denied bail; the court thinks he might present a danger to Liv." Lily told her. "He's sent her a couple of letters from the prison. I think he's trying to get her to retract her statement."

"You think?" Fran asked her. Lily shook her head.

"She won't let me see the letters. I figured it was better not to push things." Lily explained. "I really wish she didn't shut us out like this."

"Liv's a smart girl, she'll figure it out." Fran told her. "Now her dad's out of the picture, I'm sure she'll be alright."

"I wish I could think it was that easy." Lily told her. "She still has to get through her dad's trial. Do you really think she'll be able to testify against her dad?"

"It'll be tough, but I know she'll do the right thing." Fran replied. Liv looked around by a huge oak tree and smiled, before waving to them.

"This is the place." She called out. Lily came over to her with the urn and looked around.

"It's a nice spot." Lily agreed.

"Mom would have loved it here." Liv told them as Lily handed her the urn. "She told me she and dad used to go on picnics all the time when they were dating."

She emptied the urn, scattering her mother to the wind as a tear ran down her face.

"She really loved him you know." Liv told them. "She hated what he did to her, what he did to me but she loved him. That's why she couldn't leave. She took me away once, but he talked to her and promised her he'd change and she went back."

"One of our friends was in a bad relationship, the same happened to her." Fran told her, remembering what Camille had gone through with Dai Shi. She put her arm around Liv, holding her closely. "For what it's worth, I know that your dad loved her, and I'm sure he loves you. He just has a problem."

"Screw him." Liv grumbled, looking into her chest. "He killed her. He never cared about me..."

"He'll pay for what he did, you know that." Fran told her. "Just don't poison yourself and ruin your own life hating him. He can't hurt you anymore. By the time he gets out...if he gets out...you'll be an adult. He killed your mom; don't let him ruin your life too."

"I won't." Liv assured them. "He can rot for all I care."

"I don't think I ever met your mom." Lily told her, smiling. "Why don't you tell us about her?"

Liv smiled a little as they turned to walk away, beginning to tell her about the woman they had laid to rest.

Back at the school, Johnny had just finished up in shop class and came to his locker, finding a group of kids surrounding it, laughing. He pushed his way through, finding that someone had spray painted graffiti on it. He felt his blood boiling as he read it.

"Who did this?" He roared, turning to the kids. "I'm his bitch? Who's the one with his arm in a sling?"

"You got a lucky break." One of the seniors stated, stepping forward. It was Kevin Masters, the self-proclaimed "King of the School". He was six feet tall, and had an athletic build; toned through the many athletic pursuits he took part in. He was the captain of virtually every sports team in the school, and he was followed everywhere by a huge group of hangers-on, all hoping to enhance their own image just by being close to him. Johnny came over to him, standing nose-to-nose. Despite their age difference, Johnny was as big as him. Mike didn't back down like all the other kids, he just stared Johnny straight in the face.

"It was you wasn't it?" Johnny asked him, clenching his fists tightly.

"Hey, what would I know about graffiti on a freshman's locker?" He asked him. "It's not like I even know who you are kid."

"I'm the one who put two of your running buddies in hospital!" Johnny snapped, shoving him roughly. "I know those kids are your little bitches!"

"You have a big mouth Mancusso." Mike warned him. "Do you think you can back it up?"

"Any time you want!" Johnny responded. Ms. Tennant coughed, raising everyone's attention.

"What's going on here?" She asked as the others all decided they had somewhere else to be. She saw the graffiti on the locker. "Who did this?"

"I don't know." Mike said casually. "Someone who doesn't know how talented the latest member of the wrestling team is I guess."

"Do you know anything about this Mr. Mancusso?" She asked Johnny. He knew that it was Mike that had done it, but he couldn't prove it. He just shook his head. "I believe its lunch time."

As she left, Mike pulled close to Johnny, knowing he couldn't make a move because of Ms. Tennant and handed him a piece of paper.

"You want to be the big man? Come to that address tomorrow after school." He told Johnny. "You know what MMA is?"

"If you want a fight, then we don't have to wait!" Johnny warned him. Mike just laughed.

"There aren't enough people here. When I hand someone their ass, I like everyone to know about it." He replied. "Tomorrow Mancusso, be there."

Johnny grabbed him by the shirt and glared at him hatefully, but Mike just laughed.

"I guess what I wrote on your locker is true then." He said as he swatted Johnny's hands off him. "You are a bitch."

"I'm not the one in a sling." He reminded him. Mike scoffed at this.

"You're a decent wrestler kid, but we'll see what you're really made of tomorrow." He replied as he walked away. "See you in the cage Johnny."

Johnny watched him go, and then slammed his fist into the locker to ease his anger, denting it. Mike had everyone thinking he was nothing, a loser. No one did that to him. He made up his mind there and then. He was going to fight, and he was going to embarrass Mike in front of the whole school.


	98. Johnny's Fight

The following day went by quickly as Johnny prepared for the inevitable. He had been called out by the "king of the school." He was sure that he couldn't do anything other than face him down.

He arrived at the gym, finding a couple of other kids there waiting for him. They gestured him in, but laughed as they did so. They weren't there to watch a fight; they were there to watch a beating. Johnny looked to the cage and snorted.

"So where's Mike?" He asked. One of the others just handed him a pair of gloves.

"He'll come out when he's ready." He replied. "Go in there, take off your shirt and wait."

Johnny went into the cage and took off his t-shirt, showing off an impressive physique, shaped by years of manual labour and training. Just then, a kid in a black and white striped t-shirt entered the cage. He was one of the hangers-on that always followed Mike around.

"We all know why we're here, the ruled are simple." He announced. "No eye-gouging or crotch shots. Other than that, nothing's wild. Are you READY!

All the kids screamed as Johnny looked on. He just shrugged as he put on his gloves.

"Now, here's what you've been waiting for, give it up for...Strychnine!

Mike walked out, slapping hands as the crowd cheered. He made his way to the cage slowly as Johnny paced impatiently. He eventually got to the cage, before throwing his t-shirt to the cheerleaders. He came over to the centre of the ring as the ref prepared for final instructions.

"You both know the rules, get ready." He told them. Johnny just turned his back and walked back to his corner before the buzzer sounded.

He came out cautiously, but Mike scored quickly with a hard kick to his left hamstring.

Johnny backed off a little stunned. He wasn't expecting that. He had seen Johnny in the boxing and wrestling clubs. He hadn't been counting on something like that.

"Come on bitch!" Mike taunted him. Johnny surged forward, but found himself being taken face-first to the floor, before Mike paint-brushed the back of his head with slaps.

"You are such a loser it isn't true." He taunted him. "If you want to beat me, I'm standing right here!"

Johnny roared as he rushed the older student, but just found himself being guided into the wire mesh cage face-first. Mike took him down, and held him in a knee-bar just long enough to hurt him, but released it before he tapped out.

"I thought you were meant to be a bad ass." He taunted Johnny as he paced the ring. "The way the others talk about you, you'd think you were the second coming or something."

"I'm not afraid of you dipshit!" Johnny declared as he pulled himself back to his feet. "You got a couple of shots in, but you're nothing!"

"Do you think they think that?" Mike asked him as he gestured to the kids watching the fight. "They all think you're my bitch. I haven't even broken a sweat!"

Johnny rushed him, but Mike just stepped aside and kicked him hard in the ribs. Johnny felt a wet snap in his chest, and knew that at least one rib was broken. He fell to his knees, fighting for breath; though felt his head pulled back by the hair. Mike sneered at him.

"You're just another kid." He said dismissively, before kneeing him hard in the face. Johnny tried to get up, but was barely capable of moving. He looked up, seeing Mike gesturing to the crowd as they applauded in approval. He turned back to Mike and smiled.

"You did well." He told him. "For a bitch."

Johnny pushed his pain aside and rushed him, slamming a fist into Mike's face. He bore him against the cage, and started hammering into his ribcage as hard as he could, but he heard a sound that troubled him. It was laughter. Mike's laughter, he was laughing at his attempts to hurt him.

Mike smashed an elbow into Johnny's face, sending him to the floor. He looked up, only to have his head almost torn off by a hard kick to the jaw.

He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as Mike straddles him. He pinned his arms with his own legs and smirked at him.

"This can end whenever you want it to bitch." He said sarcastically. "You think you're a big man because you beat up my friends?"

Johnny spat in his face, a mixture of spittle and blood. Mike just mopped it off.

"Stupid move kid." He replied as he started to hammer into him. Johnny quickly lost consciousness in the relentless beating.

Back at JKP, Liv was playing with her dinner, a spaghetti bolognaise RJ had made for dinner. He watched her for a while, before speaking.

"You know it tastes better if it goes into your mouth." He told her. Liv just nodded as she started to eat. "You know, it's alright if you want to talk."

"Thank you." She murmured, casting a glance to where Lily was feeding David. "I'm really missing her, you know?"

"That's understandable." RJ assured her. Liv just shook her head.

"Back when I thought she just left, I missed her for a while." Liv said, expanding on what she meant. "I always dreamed she'd come back one day you know? That she would care enough about me to take me away and..."

"Liv, what happened to you wasn't her fault." RJ reminded her. "Your dad..."

"She left me!" Liv sobbed as her tears overtook her. "She left me alone with him!"

"Liv, you know she didn't do that by choice." RJ reminded her. "She was murdered."

"What can I do now?" Liv sobbed as she considered her future. "Mom's dead, my dad's in jail..."

"You can do whatever you want." RL told her. Lily cam ever, handing him David before going back to the kitchen. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know." Liv replied, shrugging a little. RJ just sniggered.

"Well, you're still young; you don't have to make those decisions yet." He replied. David wakened and squirmed a little. "Would you like to hold him?"

"He didn't like it earlier." Liv told him. RJ shook his head.

"He just isn't a morning person, much like his mother." RJ told her.

"I heard that!" Lily warned him from the kitchen. RJ just looked back to Liv as he handed her his son.

"Sorry honey!" He told her. He knew he was in trouble for that remark. Liv just looked down at David as he settled into her.

"He likes you." RJ told her. "Kids are a pretty good judge of character."

"So why did he scream earlier?" Liv asked him. RJ looked down to his son.

"He just isn't a morning person." He repeated. "He isn't screaming now is he?"

Liv just smiled broadly, showing her braces as she did so as she looked down on the little boy.

"You know, both Lily and I have trusted you with the most precious thing in the world to us." RJ reminded her. "Maybe it's time you started believing in yourself."

"I guess so." Liv replied as she handed David back. "Maybe I won't be worthless..."

"You aren't worthless." RJ interrupted her, cupping her cheek with his hand. "You never were. You can't believe that for one second."

"Thank you." Liv told him. "For everything I mean."

"We'll do what we can." RJ assured her.

Michelle was changing in her office when an intern pounded on her door before bursting in.

"Dr. Rhodes, we've got an emergency case here!" He gasped as he fought for breath. "Someone beat the living shit out of him, it's pretty bad."

Michelle followed him as he ran to the treatment room, finding a huge kid lying on the table. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and seemed to be breathing irregularly.

"Great, another MMA nut!" Michelle commented as she came to the side of the bed. "X-rays?"

"We've not done them yet." One of the nurses told her. "We only found him in the parking lot a few minutes ago."

"He isn't showing any signs of internal bleeding, that's a plus." Michelle grumbled. "Who is he?"

"We checked his wallet, the name's John Mancusso." One of the interns told her. Michelle froze, Fran often talked about her work, and the kids. She had heard the name.

"Johnny?" She asked. The eyelids twitched a little as he heard this. Michelle turned back to the others.

"I need him to be taken through a full body x-ray and CAT scan; I want to know everything we're up against!" She announced as she started to scrub her hands by the sink.

Early the next morning, Johnny woke up, his eyes opening slowly. He found Fran sitting next to him.

"I guess your head was hard enough after all." She commented. "What happened?"

Johnny pulled off the oxygen mask and turned onto his side as much as he could given the pain in his ribs.

"I had to..."

"Let someone use you as a punching bag?" Fran asked him. "Damn it Johnny, I thought you were smarter than this!"

"He punked me out!" He told her. "He sprayed my locker..."

"I saw the graffiti." Fran told him.

"I couldn't let it go." He told her. "I had to show everyone I wasn't..."

"Well you really taught everyone a lesson." Fran interrupted him. "I'm sure that guy's knuckles are really feeling it this morning."

"Mrs. Martin..."

"I mean, using your face to block his punches seems like a brilliant idea." Fran said sarcastically.

"I needed to stop..."

"Stop what Johnny?" Fran asked him. "Stop people thinking you're a punk? Well that worked well!"

"If I hadn't fought..."

"People would think as little of you now as they did then!" Fran stated. "The difference is, now they've watched you getting beaten up in public."

"So what am I meant to do, nothing?" He asked her. "He sprays my locker and I'm meant to do nothing?"

"Yes!" Fran barked at him. "You're smart Johnny, smarter than this. Think about it, what happened?"

"Mike sprayed my locker." He replied.

"So what happened?" Fran asked him.

"I accused him and he called me out..."

"He brought you onto his terms." Fran corrected him. "He suckered you into a fight you couldn't win."

"I'll win the next time." Johnny grumbled. Fran just shook her head in disbelief.

"You haven't learned anything have you?" She asked him. "Have you listened to anything I've said?"

"You talk a lot!" He complained. "I'll find Mike and..."

"You'll get your ass kicked again!" Fran told him. "Even if you win, what happens the next time someone punks you? Will you keep fighting? Will you fight everyone that insults you?"

"What else can I do?" Johnny asked her.

"You let it go." Fran told him. "If someone says you're a loser, that's their opinion. What does it matter?"

She placed a hand on his chest as he turned his face away from her.

"Don't confuse respect and fear." Fran told him. "They are very different things."

"I just don't like it when people laugh at me." Johnny told her.

"Do you think this fight made any difference?" Fran asked him. He shook his head. "If anything, they're laughing more. By fighting, you played right into his hands."

"I guess so." Johnny replied in a sigh. "I just didn't think..."

"That's exactly the problem." Fran told him. "Try thinking more."

She left the room, leaving him to his thoughts. He hated the fact Mike had beaten him so badly, and that the school had seen what happened, but what Fran had said made sense. Maybe it was time he started listening to her.


	99. Fran's Huge Surprise

It was a couple of days later when Johnny made his way to JKP for the first time. His face still bore the numerous injuries inflicted on him by Mike's brutal beating, though he had been discharged from the hospital to recover at home.

He arrived, finding Fran already there waiting for him. She was talking to Liv outside the restaurant, checking up on how she was handling her new living arrangements. Since she was now living with RJ and Lily, she had been working shifts in the restaurant. Johnny arrived, raising their attention as he arrived. He almost didn't recognise Liv in the uniform.

"Hey, how are you?" She asked him, looking up at him sympathetically. "I heard about the fight."

"Yeah, I guess by now it's all over the school." He muttered, clearly still a little irritated at the thought news of his humiliating beating would be the big news at the school. "I'm pretty sure everyone got a good laugh out of that."

"I didn't." Liv replied before Fran could say anything. "Mike's a jerk; he's been throwing his weight around at school for years according to all the other kids."

"Yeah, I can believe that." He responded. Hey, if my face looks like this, I can only imagine what his knuckles look like."

Fran put a hand on his arm, reminding him she was there.

"Come on, we'll just go inside, I'll introduce you around." She told him, before bringing him inside.

Lily was the first to come over, craning her neck to look up at Johnny, her eyes registering the usual reaction he got whenever people met him.

"Lily, this is Johnny. Johnny, this is Lily, she's the co-manager here, she's RJ's wife." Fran told him. Johnny shook her hand.

"Thanks for agreeing to help me out." Johnny told her. "Mrs. Martin told me you and your husband are willing to help me out."

"Well, we kind of needed a few kids in here anyway." She told him, showing him through to the back. "We'll have a uniform made up for you in the next few days, but for today I'll just let RJ take you through what he wants from you."

As Johnny made his way up the stairs, Lily turned to Fran and gestured in his direction.

"I thought you said that kid was a freshman!" She commented. "He's huge!"

"Yeah, I said pretty much the same thing when I first saw him." Fran told her. "Thanks a lot for this Lily, he's a good kid, I think he just needs a little guidance."

"Well RJ's looking forward to having a student again." She told her. "I think it makes him feel young whenever he's teaching. He's been really energetic the last couple of days."

"Not to mention he's happy to finally be getting some help around here." Fran responded, gesturing to where Liv was busy clearing some tables. "How's she doing?"

"She's settling in a little more." Lily assured her. "She still gets letters from her dad, but she's coping a lot better now. I think she's finally feeling a little better about everything."

"Well I'm pleased to hear things are going alright for someone." She remarked. Lily just put her arm around Fran.

"Problems with the baby?" She asked her. Fran shook her head.

"Not directly, Theo and I are looking for somewhere bigger before the baby arrives, but anywhere nearby is out of our price range." She grumbled. "Not to mention the fact the car just died on us. There's no way I'll be able to get it replaced and move into a new place."

Just then, her cell phone rang, and she answered it.

"Dr. Jennings, what can I do...again?" She yelled, becoming noticeably stressed. "I'll see them when I get a chance!"

"Okay, someone seriously needs to calm down a little." Lily commented. "At this rate your son's going to be born with an ulcer."

"Some damn lawyer keeps trying to get a hold of me." She told her. "He's put about half a dozen cards through the door, and now he's trying to catch me at work!"

"Fran, normally it's a good idea to meet with lawyers." Lily told her. "Trust me; I've met a couple since I married RJ. Running a business it's kind of a necessary evil. Some weeks I feel like all I meet are lawyers and accountants. That's why I love serving the tables so much; it kind of reminds me why I'm here."

"I'm sure it'll just be about the court case." Fran grumbled. "I'll call and make an appointment, but I'm just not looking forward to it."

"Well for what it's worth, Liv made an appointment for tonight." Lily told her. Fran just looked over to her a little surprised as she saw her dealing with a customer, smiling with a confidence she hadn't seen in her before. "Maybe it's time you both put all this behind you."

"I guess if she can face up to this, I can too." Fran replied. Just then, a man in a dark suit entered, looking around quizzically. He approached Lily and handed her a card.

"Excuse me, by any chance could you tell me where I could find Mrs. Francine Martin?" He asked her. "I stopped by her apartment and her husband said I could find her here."

"I'm Mrs. Martin." Fran replied. "Are you Mr. Terry?"

"Leon Terry, attorney." He introduced himself, handing over his card. "You're a difficult woman to get a hold of."

"I've been a little busy." Fran responded as she shook her head. "Look, this really isn't a good time..."

"It will only take a few minutes I promise you." He assured her as he looked around the crowded restaurant. "Is there somewhere we could talk in private?"

"If this is about me testifying..."

"Mrs. Martin, I have no idea what you're talking about." He interrupted her. "This is about the letter we sent you. I really think we should talk in private."

"You can use the back room." Lily told her. Fran just showed him up, suddenly a little curious. If this wasn't about the court case, what could the lawyer want to talk to her about?

Over in Blue Bay harbour, Gabby was making use of some of her study time to see exactly how much work needed to be done on the bike Dustin had found for her. Kelley let her use the back room of Storm Chargers and the tools for the inspection.

She was underneath the bike, lying on a tarpaulin when Kelley came in, watching her.

"You know if you're going to remove that, you really should turn the bike upside down. Doing it from underneath..." Gabby groaned as congealed oil and other gunk splashed her chest and face. Kelley handed her a handkerchief. "...that happens."

"Thanks for the advice." She muttered as she pulled herself out and made her way to the workbench. "I've read up about engines, but I've never actually worked on one before."

"Well you seem to look like you have things under control." Kelley commented as she gestured to the door. Dom started to creep in quietly as Gabby turned the part over in her hands.

"Damn it, no wonder the bike sounded like a gutted boar. This thing has more holes than my last pair of fishnets. I'm surprised it didn't burn out ages ago!" She commented. "Whoever had this bike before ran it into the ground."

"Well I have one here at a reasonable price." Kelley told her, handing it to Dom. He crept up to Gabby, setting it down on the table next to her, before moving around to her other side. Gabby picked it up, inspecting it.

"Well that looks a lot better." She remarked, before stopping as she smelled something other than the oil on her clothes and smiled. "Is that coffee?"

Dom put a cup down next to her, which she sniffed, before her smile split her face. It was a Starbucks cappuccino with extra chocolate and three shots of mint syrup. Only one person remembered that was her favourite combination. Turning around, she found Dom standing behind her.

"Dom, I can't believe you're here!" She shrieked, leaping into his arms and hugging him tightly, kissing him repeatedly. He laughed as he set her back down on the floor. "Oh, uh...sorry about the shirt."

He looked down, seeing that his shirt was now covered in oil just like his girlfriend.

"Well I can get changed when we get back to the apartment." He told her, laughing at her enthusiasm. "I wanted to surprise you."

"Well you certainly did that, I can't believe you came!" She commented. "I thought I wouldn't see you for ages!"

"I just wanted to see how you're settling in." He told her. "Not to mention I've been missing you like crazy."

"I've missed you too." She replied, grabbing a rag and wiping down her hands. Kelley just came over and patted her in the shoulder.

"Who am I to stand in the way of young love?" She asked her. "Why don't you go home and get cleaned up? I'm sure you'd prefer to spend the night with Dom than here."

"Kelley, I couldn't ask you to do that." Gabby replied. "I'm on the rota to work tonight."

"Tori's coming by tonight too, we'll manage." She replied. "Just promise me you'll have a great time."

"I'll make sure of that." Dom assured her, grabbing Gabby and throwing her over her shoulder, carrying her out the door as she screamed in surprise, before laughing. "Thanks a lot Kelley!"

"Those two are so cute together." She commented as she started to gather up the tools and put them away. "She better give me all the details when she gets in tomorrow."

Back in Ocean Bluff, RJ was taking Johnny through a few exercises as Fran took a seat with Mr, Terry. He opened his case and pulled out a couple of forms.

"We sent you a letter a few days ago; it should have arrived by your 21st birthday." He told her. "We haven't received a reply, so we were worried you hadn't got it."

"I still haven't opened all my mail from that day." She told him. "It was a pretty crappy day, and it looked like all the mail was bills anyway."

"Well we wanted you to make an appointment to come into our offices, normally in situations like this we don't like to handle things over the phone or by mail." He told her, handing her a copy of the letter. "It's a matter relating to Donald Munroe."

"It's about dad?" Fran asked him, recognising the name. "He died years ago."

"Well it's a matter pertaining to his estate." He continued.

"His estate was settled back then." Fran recalled. "Mom got enough to cover the mortgage..."

"There is another matter." He continued, pulling out another form and handing it to her for inspection. "It seems that he set up a trust fund the week you were born."

Fran thought about it for a while, before remembering the last time she had seen her mother. It had been over a year and a half ago, but she still remembered it. Her mother had sold the house, and had come to ask her to sign over her trust fund. She had told her something about a new boyfriend wanting to invest money in a business venture in another state, but she could still remember the smell of gin on her breath. Fran had told her in no uncertain terms that she didn't want to see her again until she got clean. She hadn't seen or heard from her since that day.

"Mom said something about that." Fran recalled, thinking about it.

"Well it matured when you turned 21." He told her. "Your father left a reasonable amount of money in trust with an accountant for your future. He didn't pay into it for long..."

"He was too busy drinking himself to death and beating us." Fran interrupted him bitterly.

"Well, he didn't pay into it for long, but it appears he did pay a reasonable amount into it." He told her. "The accountant's handled it very well."

"So you're here to hand over a cheque?" She asked him.

"It's my great pleasure to do so." He replied as he handed over the cheque, before looking out another form. "I just need you to sign this to say you received it."

"I guess I can manage that." She replied, taking the form and glancing at the cheque. Her mouth fell open as she saw the value written on it. She looked up to the lawyer in disbelief. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I'm pleased to say that it isn't." He told her. "With sums like this we always like to ensure we deliver in person and get the client to sign a receipt."

"No, this can't be true; it has to be a mistake." Fran babbled as she considered it. "There's no way this can be right!"

"I assure you there is no mistake." He replied, grabbing her hand and smiling. "I was just on my internship when the fund was set up. I filed the papers myself on the day he set it up. It was one of the first cases I was allowed to work on. I always kind of looked forward to seeing it mature."

Fran was overcome and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He laughed at her response.

"This is the one part of the job I love." He told her. "It's great to be able to give others good news."

RJ and Johnny came over as they saw the scene. Johnny was just mopping himself down with a towel after his workout.

"Fran, is everything alright?" RJ asked her, seeing the somewhat flustered look on her face.

"Mrs. Martin?" Johnny asked as Fran just stared at them.

"I...I really need to get home." She told them as she gathered up her things, quickly signing the form. "Thank you Mr. Terry, thank you!"

In Blue Bay Harbour, Dom and Gabby returned to her apartment, laughing and joking. They arrived to find Mark and Stephen in the kitchen, fixing themselves something for dinner. Stephen groaned as he once again caught Mark stealing handfuls of ingredients.

"How am I meant to cook if you keep stealing all the ingredients?" Stephen reprimanded him.

"I thought as a chef you'd know how important it is to sample ingredients." Mark teased him with a little pout. "How else are you meant to know they're good enough?"

"I know they're good enough because I bought them." He replied with a small chuckle. "Also, you only need to 'taste' small amounts. At this rate you'll have eaten the whole pie before I can bake it!"

"I'm just a little hungry." Mark told him, leaning against the work surface. Stephen just laughed.

"I swear if I didn't love you so much, you'd drive me completely insane." He told him. "Hey Dom, I see you found Gabby then."

"Yes, though she was a little too enthusiastic to see me." He commented, gesturing to the oil on his clothing. "She hadn't finished cleaning up when I got there."

"We just came to get a shower and change." Gabby assured them. "We'll get out of your hair soon."

"It's quite alright; it is your home too." Stephen reminded her.

"I'll be back soon." Gabby told Dom as she went into the bathroom. "I know a great place."

"Anywhere you are is great." He told her as she left. He then went to the corner, grabbing the bag he had left earlier. "I'll just get changed."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Fran came into her apartment, finding Theo there, relaxing on the couch after a day of working in Casey's gym. He looked up as she rushed in, throwing the door open wide and looked around frantically for him.

"Fran, is everything alright?" He asked her. She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Theo, something amazing just happened!" She told him, handing him the cheque. "My father's trust fund just matured."

"Is this right?" He asked her. "Fran?"

"The lawyer assured me its right. He said that the accountant's handled it well." She told him. "Theo, this couldn't have come at a better time for us!"

"I'll say!" He replied, hugging her tightly. "This is over 20 grand!"

"23,486 dollars 15 cents." She corrected him. "I always thought my dad hated me. The way he spoke to me, treated me all those years!"

"Well I guess this shows how much you meant to him." He replied. "He obviously loved you enough to make sure you'd be taken care of, even if something did happen to him."

"Theo, this is amazing." She responded. "We've been struggling for so long..."

"It'll really open up our options for a new home." He agreed.

Fran fell into his arms, holding him tightly and wept tears of joy. More than just the money, it was like a little piece of her past had finally been repaid to help with her future. It would never repay what her father had done to her, nor would it heal the pain of her treatment, but it would help her build her life from here on. The future for herself, her husband and her child.


	100. Chapter 100!

Susan and Jarrod came into JKP, finding the entire crew assembled. Fran had called them all there. She and Theo were sitting in each other's arms, exchanging pleasantries as they arrived.

"Sorry it took us so long." Jarrod said as they sat down. "Some of the students at the emple were getting a little over-excited at the thought of Halloween approaching. I had to pull them back into line."

"So come on Fran, what's this exciting news you've been dying to tell us?" Lily asked her long time friend. "You've been driving me crazy guessing."

"She refused to tell us until we were all here." RJ told Jarrod. "All except Dom of course, she said she'll tell him when he gets back."

"So tell us what's going on before my head explodes!" Lily shrieked, wrapping RJ's arms around her more tightly. "Is it something to do with the baby?"

"Is it twins?" Casey asked as he held Holly gently.

"No, it's only the one baby right now, thank goodness." She replied. "I got a visit from a lawyer..."

"Oh, right I remember that!" Lily interrupted her.

"Uh...that was only a few hours ago sweetie." RJ whispered in her ear. "I'd be worried if you didn't remember."

Lily just gave him a little glare as he said this, before turning back to Fran.

"My dad set up a trust fund in my name when I was born that matured on my 21st birthday." Fran informed them, gently stroking her belly. "We've got enough for a decent deposit on a house."

"Fran, that's great news!" Casey gushed, reaching across and shaking Theo's hand.

"We'll also be able to replace the car." Theo told them as he held his wife warmly. "We were looking for somewhere bigger before junior was born. Now we're able to put in a decent offer."

"Well it's about time stuff started going your way Fran." RJ commented. "You deserve this, congratulations."

"Well, since you're all here, Jarrod and I have a little announcement too." Susan chipped in, putting an arm around Jarrod. "We're expecting a baby."

Casey looked a little dumbfounded, and the others watched him for a second. Back when she had the pregnancy scare, he had reacted a little less than heroically, attacking Jarrod in a rage. They were all a little worried there would be a repeat performance. Casey surveyed his sister thoughtfully for a second before smiling.

"I guess it was only a matter of time." He told her, hugging her. "Welcome to parenthood."

"Thanks Casey." She replied, releasing him. Jarrod shook his hand.

"At least you didn't use my face as a punching bag this time." Jarrod stated. "I couldn't be any happier. I can't wait to be a dad."

"Well given all this excitement, I'd say champagne is in order." RJ commented. "Flit, would you help me get some glasses?"

Flit and RJ left, leaving the others. Michelle threw herself at her sister, hugging her tightly with tears of joy in her eyes.

"I can't believe you've done this to me!" She chirped as she released her twin sister, hitting her playfully. "Not only am I, the eldest, the last to get married, now you've gone and started a family before me."

"What can I say, you always were a little slow off the mark Chelle." She teased her sister.

"You have no idea how jealous I am right now." Michelle replied. "Good job sis."

"Thanks sis, I really love the thought of being a mom." She told her. "Now I just need to call mom and tell her."

"I'm sure she's going to love that." Michelle teased her. "Not only have all her kids moved out here, now she's having a second grandchild out here."

"She has been talking about retiring for a while now." Susan remarked. "Maybe this will be just the motivation she needs to join us out here."

"Well guys, I guess it's time to celebrate." RJ said as he and Flit returned with some champagne. "To the pack!"

"To the pack!" They all replied.

The following day, Johnny returned to school, still bruised and sore from his beating, but determined to continue to heed Fran's advice.

His blood boiled as he arrived at his locker, finding that the graffiti had not yet been removed. He noticed a few students pointing and whispering as he opened it to get his books. He hated this, being the butt of everyone's jokes, but there was nothing he could do about it. Those that hadn't been at the fight had seen it on a multitude of web sites, and knew that he had been humiliated by Mike.

He slammed his locker shut as he finished collecting his books for first period, and turned to see Mike and his friends standing before him.

"You've got real balls Mancusso." Mike commented, coming over. "I mean, if I'd taken an ass kicking like that, I'm not sure I'd be able to show my face in public."

There was a small laugh from the other students. Johnny's grip on his books tightened as his frustration built. He hated being laughed at. Mike came over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"If you think this is over, you really are as dumb as your test scores make out." He taunted him quietly. "From now on, you're my bitch, you got that Mancusso?"

"Up yours Mike." He grumbled as he turned away. Mike grabbed him, ramming him against the lockers and held him fast.

"I own you Mancusso! I kicked your ass without even breaking a sweat!" He reminded him. "Your ass is mine!"

Johnny was about to lose it, feeling the rage building in him, but then he remembered Fran's advice. He needed to control his anger, to think things through rather than simply being a slave to his overly quick temper. He saw Ms. Tennant rounding the corner and smiled as he got an idea.

"You know you seem to put a lot of value in 'owning' me." Johnny commented with a wry grin. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Mike's face twisted into a hideous snarl and he prepared to hit Johnny, but was stopped as he felt a hand on his arm. He turned, seeing the principal before him.

"I am sure you know about our policy on fighting." She said coldly. "Come with me to my office."

Mike let Johnny go, flashing him a hateful glare as he realised he had been suckered into that one. Johnny stooped to collect his books, finding another pair of hands collecting them. He looked up, finding Liv helping him.

"Thanks." He told her as he took them from her. "You work at JKP don't you?"

"I do." She told him. "I started there recently."

"You're the Jenkins girl." He stated. "You're the one who's dad..."

His words tailed off as he saw the uncomfortable look on her face. It was still too recent, too raw in her mind for her to talk about, much less listen to. News of her father's arrest was easily the biggest story in the papers, and so it was impossible for her to avoid it. He stroked the back of his neck awkwardly as he realised his mistake.

"Sorry, my mouth runs away with me." He assured her. "I'm going to be working in JKP soon too. My first shift's tonight."

"I'm working tonight." She told him, brushing her hair out of her face. "You tackled my dad when he tried to run."

Johnny smiled at the memory. He and Liv hadn't really spoken much. The odd pleasantry here and there, but other than that they were never really in the same social circles. He was a loner, and she...well...in truth he had no idea what, if any, social circle she was in. He nodded.

"I couldn't let him get away." He told her. "I'm part Italian, we don't let anyone abuse women."

"Well, you did a good thing." She commented. "I kind of owe you."

"Well, you helped me here, help showing me the ropes at the restaurant and we'll call it quits." He told her, extending a hand. "I'm Johnny."

She smiled at him, exposing her extensive braces and returned the gesture.

"I'm Liv." She replied. "I would say all my friends call me that, but...well..I don't have any."

"It could be worse." Johnny told her. "You could be friends with Mike."

"I guess that's true." She said in a laugh. "Anyway, we're late for class."

"It's Dr. Jennings and Mrs. Martin's class." He reminded her as they went on their way. "I'm sure they won't serve us with tardy slips."

As they left, Mike rounded the corner, carrying his fresh detention form in his hand and watched them leave. He got an evil smirk on his face as he got an idea. Johnny had disrespected him and gotten him in trouble. He needed to exact vengeance, and he had originally just thought of doing so with another beating, but he was beginning to see that wouldn't get the desired result. He knew he would easily defeat Johnny in a fight, it was just how to get him into that situation that he was trying to think of. Trixie, the head cheerleader, and also his girlfriend came up to him, wrapping herself around him seductively.

"You own him Mike." She whispered in his ear softly.

"Not yet I don't." He told her. "I will though, and that kid will learn exactly what it mean to cross me!"

A/N: I know it's short, and not exactly much of a celebration of 100 chapters, being a short but this is the new instalment. Hope you like it.

I started JFNL more than a year ago, and had every intention of it being a short burn fic, but you..my loyal readers...keep asking for more! I thank each and every one of you for your support, and make this promise. As long as you keep asking for more and as long as I keep coming up with ideas, this story will continue. Thank You one and all!

Al, aka, Knightwood!


	101. Liv's Visit

Liv woke up in the morning to a curious sound in the main room. It sounded like someone was there working out. She turned over, looking at her radio alarm clock and groaned as she saw that it was 6:07 AM. It was Saturday, one of the days she was meant to be able to enjoy sleeping in for once.

RJ and Lily were early risers, especially on days they had to go to the market for ingredients, though usually they were up from around this time to work out and spar. She had found it a little curious at first that they fought one another on practically a daily basis, but it was very different from the way their parents fought. For one thing, while they did fight aggressively, Lily especially, it was without malice, and it while they would strike each other, they always pulled back, making no real effort to hurt each other. At the end, they would always bow, shake hands, and then kiss and go back to their routine like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Living with them for even the couple of weeks she had, she had noticed that all of their friends seemed to be into King Fu, and would regularly stop by, at least every couple of days, to engage in sparring sessions. They were all exceptional, far superior to many of the shows and movies she had seen, so she found it a little odd at first, especially since none of them appeared to compete in tournaments.

She muttered under her breath as she pulled back the covers, making her way to the en-suite. Another thing she had considered odd at first was why there were so many en-suites, but Lily had explained that at one time all their friends had lived there. She could only imagine how cramped and cosy it would have been, but thinking about it in those respects, she figured it explained how pretty much all of them had ended up hooked up with someone else in the group. She had to imagine privacy would have been almost non-existent, and misunderstandings common.

She had only ever really been in her own house with her mom and dad. They didn't have friends round, occasionally her dad would bring around a client, but at that point she was banished to her bedroom so they wouldn't be disturbed. RJ though, seemed to run a pretty relaxed, open house and there were always people around. It took a few days to get used to, but she now found she liked it. The others were all very nice, and always greeted her warmly when they saw her, like they had known her for years. She liked that, it felt very different from the way her own family had.

She suddenly paused for a second as she realised that for once, she was dry. She quickly ran her hands over her night wear, before going to the bed and throwing off the covers, running her hands over them to confirm that they were bone dry. For the first time since the whole situation had begun, she had made it through the night without wetting the bed.

She turned, heading to the bathroom with a smile on her face, no longer caring about the early wake-up call on a weekend.

After her shower, she quickly got dressed, before making her way out into the main room.

"Lily, RJ, you'll never guess what..." Her words tailed off as she found RJ going through exercises with Johnny. She couldn't talk about her breakthrough with him while he was there. She was getting used to Johnny coming around more often. He now worked with her in the restaurant, and when he regularly came by to work out with RJ. Right now he was doing some meditation exercises with him, but given the state of his t-shirt, it looked like they had been working out for a while.

"Oh, sorry I didn't mean to wake you." RJ told her as he saw her. "Johnny went to the market with me, so we decided to take advantage and go for a run while we were at it, then we had a little time for some sparring and...sorry about this."

"It's alright, it is your apartment." She replied, making her way to the kitchenette. RJ quickly looked at Johnny, seeing that he was still concentrating on the exercise, and got up, making his way over to her.

"It was my apartment, but you live here too." RJ told her as she reached for some juice. "I guess I should probably try to keep it down a little on the weekends. You deserve a little time."

She didn't say anything, and just smiled at him, before making her way towards the couch. Lily came in at that point with David in her arms, heading for the table herself. David kicked a little, his arms flailing excitedly.

"Good morning little guy." She greeted him. "How did he sleep last night?"

"He's still a little grumpy, but I think the worst of it is over." Lily told her in a slight groan. He had picked up something from one of the other kids at the park, and so he had been confined to the apartment for the last couple of days. He was a little moody between his ill feeling and the fact he hadn't seen some of his friends for a couple of days. Lily had been staying out of the way as much as possible since, inevitably, she had ended up picking it up too. She was sweating pretty much all the time, and had virtually no appetite. "He seemed a little brighter when I gave him his bottle this morning."

"How's his mommy?" Liv asked her. Lily just shook her head.

"Now I know why he was screaming so much." She complained in a little sigh. "I must look like a mess."

"Well I for one still think you look beautiful." RJ told her, coming across. He was about to put an arm around her, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"Not so fast, I'm in quarantine remember?" She told him. "You know we can't afford for both of us to be out of action."

One of the advantages of the large apartment was that now some of the bedrooms were empty, and so RJ had been, despite much protest and even a slightly embarrassing tantrum, had been sent into another room until Lily and David got better. He sat down on the other side of Liv as Johnny got up, making his way over.

"I've finished up here, thanks for the workout." Johnny told him. "I'll be back once I get a shower and change."

He left to head back to his uncle's wrecker's yard. RJ waved him off, before turning back to Liv.

"Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell us?" RJ asked her. Liv looked around a little, making sure Johnny was gone before she told them.

"My sheets were dry this morning." She stated with a little bit of a smile. Lily and RJ just smiled at her happily. "I was thinking a lot last night, and I've made a few decisions about my dad."

"Liv, you know we'll support you whatever you decide." RJ told her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We'll understand if you want to drop the complaint against him." She shook her head gently.

"No, that's not it." Liv told them. "You know I've been getting a lot of letters from dad asking me to visit him. Well, I think I should go."

"Are you sure about this?" Lily asked her. "I know it hasn't been easy for you."

"I just want to hear what he has to say." Liv told them. "If I don't do this, I'll never know what he wants from me. The first time I'll see him is at the trial, and by then it might be too late."

"Liv, you know he's just going to try and talk you into dropping your complaint." RJ said sympathetically. He could understand her need to find out what her dad wanted from her, but he was worried about what it would do to her to see him in that situation. She still became noticeably nervous any time the subject came around to her father, or the court case.

"I know my dad better than anyone. He's probably already trying to sort out some kind of deal to get out early." She responded sharply. "He knows every trick in the book, he made a career out of it, I just know I need to know what he's up to or he's never going to be out of my life."

RJ and Lily looked to each other a little curiously, finding it strange to hear Liv talking that way about her father. She had never really been so assertive when talking about him before.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" RJ asked her. "It's going to be pretty rough..."

"He killed my mom and he made my life hell!" She snapped back at him. "I don't want anything more to do with him, and if I'm ever going to get away from him for good, I need to know what he wants from me so I can deal with it and walk away."

"We'll help you in any way we can." RJ told her proudly, rubbing her shoulders gently. "I just need to make some phone calls, but I should be able to sort something out."

"When were you thinking of going?" Lily asked her. Liv just handed her a visitation notice.

"If I call now, I could go in this afternoon." She told them. "I can wait..."

"It's alright, I'll be there." RJ assured her. "I'm really proud of you."

"We both are." Lily assured her. Liv just smiled and nodded, feeling a little better about herself. She was still scared of facing up to her dad, but with Lily and RJ behind her, she was sure she would get through it.

Johnny had finished getting changed when he ran into his Uncle Vinny in the yard, sitting on a stack of tyres drinking coffee from his thermos.

"What were you planning on doing today?" His uncle asked him. Johnny just rolled his eyes as he heard this. He had been sent to Ocean Bluff to live with his uncle because of the trouble he was getting into back home. Of course so far he hadn't really made the best of first impressions here either, and his uncle was becoming a little aggravated by the whole deal.

"I have a shift in the restaurant this afternoon." He told his Uncle. "Mrs. Martin said she'd help me with some homework assignments later."

"So I guess I'll be seeing you tonight." He grumbled a little sarcastically. Johnny hated it when he did that. His uncle had only agreed to take him in because Johnny's dad was his brother, and they were all worried about exactly how much trouble Johnny got into because of his temper. Of course it hadn't taken too long before he was being called to the school because of his conduct, and so he was getting more and more cynical. He had so far been a little sceptical about how much good Mrs. Martin's good intentions would help. As far as he was concerned, she was just making excuses for the fact Johnny was slacking off and acting out.

"I'll see you around Uncle Vinny." Johnny replied, turning from him and walking away. As he arrived at the restaurant, he found Master Finn there, setting up.

"I thought RJ was working today." Johnny stated. Master Finn just laughed. He usually came in to work whenever RJ was unable to. He was more than a little defensive about the reputation of the restaurant, and while he had no problems with the others putting dishes together, he only really trusted one or two people to actually cook the recipes. Only Michael, Master Finn and Lily had been fully trained on the secrets of his recipes.

"He had something to deal with today." Master Finn told him. "Don't believe all the rumours; I'm not really that much of a slave driver."

"Are we expecting a busy night?" Michael asked him. Master Finn just laughed.

"It's Saturday night, what do you think?" Master Finn asked him. "I'm just glad Dom's back. With Lily out of action and Liv and RJ off, I was forced to call in a favour from Casey, and I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind doing a double shift."

"I'll need to call Mrs. Martin and re-schedule our tutorial, but I think I could do that." Michael replied.

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate it." Master Finn told him as they went through to the kitchen. "How is the tutoring going anyway?"

"It's still tough, but I think things are getting a little better." He replied. "I'm still trying to get the hang of reading assignments..."

He turned to the pot of sauce Master Finn was preparing on the stove, sniffing it gently.

"That is a very special recipe." Master Finn told him. "It smells pretty good doesn't it?"

"Tomatoes, sage, onions, garlic..." Johnny began, rhyming off the ingredients. He took another small sniff. "Pepper, oregano and...a little red chilli."

"I'm impressed." Master Finn commented. "You managed to name every ingredient."

"Do you mind?" Johnny asked, getting a teaspoon. Master Finn gestured for him to continue. Johnny tasted it, considering it for a second. "This is pretty good."

"Glad you like it." Master Finn told him. "I always loved that one myself; it's one of RJs specialities."

Johnny spooned some into a small pot to continue heating it. Master Finn watched him curiously as he added another couple of ingredients, before offering it to him. He was curious to see this, and not wanting to hurt Johnny's feelings, he tried it. He looked at him a little strangely.

"This is really good." He told him with a somewhat impressed tone to his voice. "How did you do that?"

"My parents are Italian. My mom used to cook all the time; she had a small catering business." He informed him. "I used to go into the kitchen all the time."

"Well it looks like you picked up a few things." Master Finn said gently. "You know...would you mind if I kept this? I think RJ might like to try it."

"Sure, no problem." Johnny said with a little shrug. "I should probably check out the front."

As Johnny went out to check on the restaurant, Master Finn poured Johnny's creation into a Tupperware container and set it aside for the time being. He knew that RJ would be interested in this.

Over at the prison, RJ and Liv arrived, going through the process of being checked in. The guards had just finished searching RJ when Liv came over to him.

"Just this way Mr. James." The guard told them, leading them towards the visiting area. RJ put his hand on Liv's shoulder as she came into the room, finding her dad sitting there in the room with his lawyer. She looked around a little puzzled, and looked up to RJ as she noticed that it wasn't like she had seen in prison movies. There weren't booths with security glass between the prisoner and the visitors. There was just a table and chairs. RJ gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze to remind her he was there.

"Olivia, sweetheart, I'm glad you came." Her father told her. "Could we talk in private for a little while?"

"I'm not going anywhere." RJ told him. "You might have convinced the prison you aren't a danger to her, but I'm a little more sceptical."

"You get to keep the lawyer." Liv replied coldly, looking up at him. She recognised him as one of her dad's friends. "Hi Mr. Jackson."

"Good afternoon Olivia." He replied. Liv made her way slowly to the table and sat down, folding her arms defiantly in front of her.

"Well, you wanted to talk to me?" She asked him. Mr. Jenkins leant across the table, reaching across for her hand, but Liv didn't respond.

"I can understand that. I've treated you terribly." He told her. "I know you can never..."

"Dad, just get to the point. What do you want from me?" She asked him. He turned to Mr. Jackson who presented her with a file.

"Your father has filed a request with the court to face a reduced charge of culpable homicide." The lawyer informed her. "He has agreed to psychological testing..."

"You're still saying this is an accident?" Liv asked him with a disbelieving shake of the head.

"I have a problem Liv, I know that now." He pleaded with her. "I've always had a temper, God knows you know that more than most, but I swear I never meant to kill your mother!"

"We're filing for the reduced charge on the grounds of diminished responsibility." Mr. Jackson informed them. "If he submits to psychiatric treatment, and the court accepts his guilty plea, then he will face a reduced sentence."

"I know I can't ask you to forget all that I've done, but I really want to try and make it up to you." Mr. Jenkins told her. "I'll serve my time, I'll get the therapy and then I want to do everything I can to make it up to you."

"Mr. Jenkins would like you to drop the abuse charges." Mr. Jackson interjected. "With that, hopefully after he's served his sentence, enough time will have passed..."

"What? Enough time will have passed that I forget the fact he beat the crap out of us every day for years?" Liv shrieked. "There were times I thought I would never get away from you and looking at what happened to mom..."

"I loved your mother with all of my heart, I never meant for her to die!" Mr. Jenkins pleaded with her. "Please, Olivia..."

"No dad, it's too late!" Liv interrupted him. She looked him in the eye for the first time. "I don't want anything more to do with you. I'm not just going to file those abuse charges. I'm also getting legal advice. I'm moving for emancipation."

"You...you can't do that!" Mr. Jenkins shrieked, looking to his lawyer in amazement. "Olivia..."

"I've spoken to George Wallace; he's a friend of the family." RJ told him. They both recognised the name. Gabby's dad was a long-time client of their firm, and had used them many times. "It seems he isn't impressed that one of the lawyers he's used is an abusive murdering bully."

RJ pulled closer, looking him in the eye and smirking.

"He agreed to have another attorney look into Liv's case pro bono, and I'm sure that his lawyer is a lot better than anyone you'll be able to afford." RJ told him. "Especially since most of the people you know won't want to touch the case with a barge pole if they think they'll risk losing his business."

"It turns out they're confident the history of abuse will make a good case for removing me from your custody." Liv informed him. She turned to RJ, looking up at him. "Can we go now?"

"I think we're finished here." RJ told them. "We'll see you in court Mr. Jenkins."

With that, they got up and left. Mr. Jenkins looked at his lawyer a little stunned by everything.

"What can we do about this?" He asked. "How are we...?"

"Who said anything about 'us' doing anything?" Mr. Jackson asked him, sealing up his briefcase.

"Kevin, you have to help me..."

"What chance do you really think I'll have of making partner in the firm if I agree to take your case?" He asked him. "This case is going to create hell in the press. The bad press would cripple us; our clients would leave in droves. How long do you really think Id last at the firm after that?"

With that, he got up and left the room. Mr. Jenkins just put his head on the table and held his head in his hands. More than knowing his one chance at getting out in a few years had just gone up in smoke, Liv's actions had left him in no doubt that he had no one to blame any more but the one person he had always denied was responsible. Himself.


	102. Liv's Next Shock

A/N: I know I haven't updated this story in a while; I was a little sidetracked by my RPM fic. Hope you enjoy this.

A couple of weeks had passed since Dom's visit, and now Gabby was just beginning to find her stride in her new life. Her lectures and her tutorials seemed easy, and a little boring most days, but she lived for when she went to Storm Chargers. She loved her new job, not just because Kelley let her work on her bike in the back room when she had time and gave her reasonable rates on parts, but also because she found she loved the job. The customers all had a lot more in common with her than she would have thought, and she'd often find herself chatting at length about the latest tricks they had all pulled.

She was currently at the register, absent-mindedly scrubbing out an engine part when Dustin came into the store, holding a flyer. He ran over to her, rousing her attention as he slammed his hands onto the counter.

"Gabby, you're never going to guess what's happened!" He yelled excitedly, bouncing like a four year old on Christmas.

"Dustin, what are you doing here?" Gabby asked him as she just put the part down on the newspaper on the desk. Dustin slammed a flyer down on the counter.

"There's a freestyle competition in a couple of weeks." He informed her. "I think you'll be ready to compete in the juniors."

"You think I'm ready for that?" Gabby asked him, a little nervously. Dustin just nodded furiously.

"You've been tearing up the track recently. That Superman seat grab you pulled the other day was flawless!"

"Dustin..."

"I'm serious Gabby, you're ready!" He assured her. "I know you haven't been riding long, but you're a natural. You'll tear it up out there!"

"I'm still not sure..."

"I didn't tell you the best part." Dustin interrupted her. "The competition's in Ocean Bluff."

Gabby dropped the part she was holding as soon as she'd heard this. It was bad enough that she spent many of her weekends studying without the added complication of how much she missed Dom. Riding took her mind off it for a little while, it was one of the reasons she had ridden so obsessively and advanced as quickly as she had. Now though, she had more reasons to blow off her weekend study sessions.

"I'm sure there's a certain Rhino who'd love to watch you riding." Dustin told her. "What do you say, are you in?"

"I'd need to run it past Kelley..."

"Who do you think gave Dustin the flyer?" Kelley asked as she came into the room. "If you want to go, Tori, Hunter and I will cover the store."

Gabby just looked to the flyer and smiled. She hadn't been riding long, but they all had faith in her that she wouldn't embarrass herself. She finally nodded.

"I'll do it." She told them. "I'll go to the contest."

Liv finished another class, and was at her locker, looking out books when Mike, the self-proclaimed 'king of the school' rounded the corner. He waved back his hangers-on and approached her, 'accidentally' bumping into her as she gathered her books from her locker, causing her to drop them.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." He greeted her as he helped her gather her books from the floor. "I really didn't mean that."

"I'm fine." She grumbled as she snatched some of the books away from him. It had only been a couple of weeks since Mike had beaten Johnny senseless, and while she wasn't exactly close to him, she hated what Mike had done to him.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help." He complained, holding his hands up defensively.

Liv never bothered answering, instead just turning and walking away from him. Mike stroked his chin thoughtfully as he watched her walking away. He knew she and Johnny had been spending a lot of time together recently, which was the real reason he had tried to talk to her. Johnny had managed to land him in trouble, something he was determined to avenge, but so far Johnny had avoided fighting him again.

Mike considered his options. Normally he didn't have any problems getting girls to pay attention to him. Half the pep squad were already clamouring just to get seen with him. Liv seemed different though. She didn't pay any attention to him at all. If he was going to use her to get to Johnny, then he had to find another way to go about it.

Lily was feeding David in the back room of the restaurant when RJ came in from the kitchen. Lily was feeling considerably brighter, and now it seemed like David had gotten over his illness. RJ sat with them, placing a bowl of pasta on the table.

"Do you feel up to eating anything?" He asked his wife. Lily shifted David a little into a slightly more comfortable position.

"I am pretty hungry." She conceded, taking the spoon. She took a mouthful as David reached for it, obviously interested to see what his mommy was eating.

"This is amazing!" She complimented him, putting the spoon down. "Are you trying a new recipe for the restaurant?"

"Actually Johnny made it." RJ informed her, taking David from her to allow her the chance to eat. "Dad told me he made that sauce when he was working here the day Liv visited her dad."

"This is really good!" She reiterated as she started to shovel it into her mouth enthusiastically. "Johnny made this?"

"I had some earlier. I have to admit, I was really impressed." He said in response, bouncing David slightly on his knee. "Johnny's got a real talent there."

"I'll say." Lily agreed.

"I'm thinking of giving him something of an audition." RJ told her. "I was thinking of asking him to handle the pizza dough and the bread for the weekend. If he does well, I might just start showing him a few tricks of the trade."

"You're thinking of letting him loose in the kitchen?" Lily asked him. "You don't let anyone know any of your secrets. You only told me the secret of your pizza sauce after we were married."

"Well Fran said he needs a focus in his life. He needs something that gets him a little recognition." He told her as a slight smile crossed his face. "Plus, I have to admit that I'm a little excited about training my first culinary student."

"It would be good for him." Lily agreed, seeing the excitement in her husband about this new project. The phone rang, and Lily made her way towards it. "I'm sure Fran would like that idea. Hello, how can I help you?"

RJ kept his son entertained as Lily talked on the phone. As she hung up and returned to the table, she looked a little stunned. RJ's brows knitted as he held his son closely.

"Is everything alright?" RJ asked her as she came back.

"That was the prison." She told him.

"Does Liv's dad want her to visit again?" He asked her. "She made her feelings pretty clear on that count..."

"He hung himself in his cell last night." She interrupted him. "He's dead."

RJ made his way to the other side of the table and sat next to her, holding his wife warmly. As much as Liv wanted nothing more to do with her father, he knew that it wasn't going to be easy for her to hear this news. Neither of them looked forward to telling Liv that her father had opted to kill himself rather than face the responsibility of what he had done.

Over at the High School, Fran was finishing marking some assignments as Dr. Jennings took them through the duel scene in Romeo and Juliet in his usual animated manner. He had borrowed a foil from the gym for dramatic effect, meaning the front rows were a little nervous as he swung it around.

"Oh I am fortune's fool!" He roared at the top of his lungs as he let the sword fall to the floor. "What do you think the moral of this scene was?"

"Romeo let passion rule his head." Liv answered. "He was so consumed by his anger that Tybalt killed Mercutio that he went after him and killed him despite knowing that it would mean the Prince would come after him."

"Good Liv." Dr. Jennings congratulated his star pupil. "So he lost control..."

"He gave it up, he didn't lose it." Johnny pitched in, causing everyone to look round. "He knew that it was wrong, but he did it anyway."

He flicked the page, finding the quote.

"Away to heaven good levity and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now." He read aloud. "He knew he was giving in to his anger, but he did it anyway. He said it himself."

"Impressive, that's an excellent point Johnny." Dr. Jennings complimented him, more than a little impressed. Fran smiled proudly, hearing Johnny contribute to the class in this way, and demonstrating an understanding of the material. His dyslexia was still a hurdle, but he was working hard to overcome it. "Of course Tybalt did kill his best friend."

"That's true, but Mercutio brought about his own fate." Johnny explained. "He got involved in a fight that was nothing to do with him. He went looking for Tybalt, despite the fact he was a trained duellist. He took on a fight he couldn't win."

"He did it for a friend though." Dr. Jennings stated. "He knew Tybalt was looking for Romeo."

"It was still wrong." Johnny stated. "He went out to find Tybalt and fight him."

"So do you think it's wrong to fight to defend a friend?" Liv asked him, turning in her chair. Johnny just smiled at her.

"Not at all, I just think he should have thought it through and found a better way." He replied. "He was the Prince's cousin. He could just have told the Prince Tybalt was looking for Romeo and had the guards arrest him."

"The fact is that Tybalt killed Mercutio." Liv stated.

"Of course Mercutio attacked him." Johnny reminded her. "He defended himself, and in doing so he killed him. If he hadn't done that, he'd have lived and Romeo would never have gone after Tybalt."

"That's an interesting point." Dr. Jennings stated. "So in a way it could be said that the duel, the turning point of the whole story..."

"It was Mercutio's fault." Johnny stated. "The theme of the chapter was not to let passion rule your actions, but it was Mercutio's passion that led to him attacking Tybalt. Everything that happened after that was all down to him."

"Excellent point Johnny!" Dr. Jennings exclaimed at the top of his lungs, bringing a hand down on his shoulder. As the bell rang, he smiled. "Alright, tomorrow we'll be going over the aftermath of the duel. Read the next three scenes and prepare some notes for the discussion. Mrs. Martin will hand you your last papers as you leave."

He went to the fallen foil, and rolled it over onto his foot, before flicking it into the air and catching it. Fran handed out the papers as the students came to her.

"This was really good work Johnny." She said proudly, handing him his paper. He had attained a B+, a significant improvement from his earlier work. "You really impressed me there."

"Thanks Mrs. Martin." He responded as he put the essay away.

"I heard you and Mike had a spot of trouble a while back." She told him. "I heard that he got detention and you didn't."

"I guess I finally stopped letting my feelings rule my head." He said with a grin. "I may be part Italian, but my name is not Mercutio."

"You're learning." She whispered to herself as he left, feeling a sense of pride in his progress. He was growing up.

In the Rock Porium, Susan was taking the opportunity while the store was quiet to run an inventory. Flit was running around, fetching boxes as she checked off her list. Theo was handling things out the front.

"You know this would go a lot more quickly if you'd give me a hand." He reminded her. Susan just patted her stomach.

"You know I wouldn't do anything to risk the little one." She said with a hint of a smile.

"You're only a few weeks along." He reminded her. "I'm a healer. I know what you're capable of."

"Oh just shut up and let me milk it a little." She replied with an evil smirk as he opened the box he was holding. She had a look through it, before checking it off on her list. "You can't blame me for having a little fun."

"I definitely chose the right twin." He grumbled as he taped the box up again and went to fetch another. "Jarrod doesn't know what he's letting himself in for."

"You know, I am your boss." She reminded him playfully. "The lunch order should be here soon."

"I am so looking forward to that." He told her, bringing down another box. "I skipped breakfast this morning. I'm starving!"

"Well I for one am looking forward to it. I'm getting cravings already." She told him. "I swear if that pizza guy's late, I might just eat him."

"Well cannibalism's a new craving on me." He chuckled in response. "What's the little one asking for today?"

"Ham, pineapple and sweetcorn." She responded. "I have a feeling this little one's going to be a strange little guy."

"Well genetics isn't really on his side." Flit teased her.

"You're going to pay for that." She warned him. Just then, Theo came in the back room.

"The pizzas are here." Theo told them.

"Thanks Theo." Susan told him. "We'll finish this up after lunch."

As they got into the main shop, Theo handed Flit his pizza, before handing Susan hers.

"You got a 16 inch pie to yourself?" Theo asked her. "It's a bit more than usual."

"Pregnant remember?" She asked him through her first mouthful. "I'm eating for two."

"Two what? Elephants?" Flit teased her. She just slapped him upside the head.

"Well at least we know the little one has a healthy appetite." Theo commented. "I'll bet Jarrod's pretty excited."

"He really is." Susan replied happily. "I love how close this has brought us."

"Well it was only a matter of time before this brought you closer." Flit commented. "After all, it won't be much longer before there's a whole lot more of you for him to love."

With that, he ran to avoid her retaliation. Susan just snorted in annoyance.

"You're mean do you know that?" She complained loudly.

Liv and Johnny arrived at JKP following their day at school, finding RJ and Lily waiting for them. RJ was meant to be taking Johnny through another workout, and Liv was meant to be working. They both noticed that they were slightly more subdued than normal.

"Johnny, would you mind helping me in the restaurant tonight?" RJ asked him. "I'm sorry but I need to call a rain check on our lesson."

Johnny went with RJ to get a uniform as Liv looked at Lily a little confused.

"I'm meant to be working tonight." She stated.

"Liv sit down, I need to tell you something." Lily said softly as she took her to a corner booth. She took a deep breath. "The prison called today..."

"Is it about the court date?" Liv asked her. "I still haven't heard..."

"It's about your dad." Lily interrupted her. "He hung himself in his cell last night."

Liv stared at her like she had been punched in the stomach. She couldn't believe what she had heard.

"Is he alright?" Liv asked. Lily shook her head.

"He was found this morning." She told her. "He didn't survive."

Liv placed her face in her hands, trying hard to take in everything she had heard. Her father had done so much to her, taken so much, but he was still her father. She couldn't help feeling upset about hearing that he had died. Lily reached across the table, touching her arm.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked her.

"I can't believe he's dead." She mumbled as she finally looked up. "I never wanted him to die."

"You know we're both here for you." Lily told her, stroking her arm. "This is difficult, but we have to talk about what you want to do now."

"What do you mean?" Liv asked her. Lily sighed.

"They need a family member to confirm his identity before they release his remains." She told her. "You're his next of kin. After that, you'll be responsible for arranging..."

"No!" Liv screamed, ripping her hands away. "I can't do it, I won't!"

"Liv, I know he hurt you but..."

"He took everything from me!" Liv shrieked as tears ran down her face. She gripped her hair tightly in her hands as she got up and backed away from her.

"Liv, you have to decide what you want..."

"Dump him in the wreckers yard like he did to mom, he can rot for all I care!" She yelled, before running from the restaurant in tears. Lily wanted to follow her, but she knew she'd never catch her while she was carrying David. Liv was long gone by the time she got to the door. As much as she hoped Liv would come back to her and talk about things, she had no idea where she had gone. Right now, she was on her own.


	103. Liv's Home

It had been an hour since Liv had run off by the time the others arrived. Lily hadn't been able to catch her when she left, and she was becoming understandably worried about her. Liv was distraught when she had been told about her father's suicide, meaning that it wasn't a time she should really be on her own.

"We came as soon as we could." Fran told her, making her way to a table. "How long has it been since she went missing?"

"She's been gone about an hour." Lily replied in a panic. "I'm really worried about her. She was really upset when she left."

"She hasn't been missing long enough to be listed as a missing person, but I asked some of my friends from OBPD to keep an eye out for her." Susan added. "They'll give me a call if she turns up."

"Right, until then all we can do is spread out and hope she turns up soon." RJ told them. "Dom, you and Johnny are on shift with me tonight. We may as well stay here in case she comes back."

"That's not a bad idea; she might turn up at one of our places." Casey commented. "Camille, take Holly back to the apartment in case she shows up there."

"I'll wait at the apartment over the Rock Porium." Michelle added. "If she shows up at the hospital, someone will call me."

"I'll keep an eye on the beach." Master Finn told them.

"I know the woods like the back of my hand. I'll search there." Master Phant added, gathering his robes around himself. "If she went in there, she could be lost for hours."

"I'll check the lake." Master Swoop continued.

"Thanks, this means a lot." Lily told them, gathering her jacket. "I'm heading to the bus station to see if anyone's seen her. Casey, try the shopping district. Theo, look around her old house. It's starting to get late, and it's meant to be pretty cold tonight. If she doesn't come home soon, she'll probably be looking for some shelter for the night."

"I'll call Gabby's parents. Her dad knew them; they might know somewhere she might go." RJ suggested as they started to gather their coats to go in search of the young teenager.

"Good idea, they might know something we don't." Lily replied. "Come on guys, it won't be long until it gets dark. We need to find her before anything happens to her."

Liv walked through Ocean Bluff slowly, her mind wandering far from reality. It had now been over an hour since she had found out about her father's death. She hated what he had done to her and what he had done to her mother but this was far from what she wanted. She wanted him to pay for what he had done. She never wanted anything more to do with him, but now that was impossible. Even in death he was continuing to torture her.

She was now his only living relative, meaning that she was now responsible for dealing with his remains, and settling his estate. She had accepted the fact that without her father she was going to be alone. She had felt that way for much of her life anyway, but this wasn't going to help matters. She had made the decision to file for emancipation, the act she was sure had driven him over the edge. He had hoped to get her to drop the abuse allegations, and instead she had told him that she wanted to sever any legal ties he had over her. He was alone to face the horror of his actions, and apparently that was too much for him to bear.

Now that he was dead, he would never face trial for his actions. She wouldn't have to face him in court and testify against him, but because he had killed himself before she was emancipated, she was still his next of kin. Legally, she was responsible for the arrangements for his funeral. He had done this to her, forcing her to face him one last time.

She never even noticed as it started raining. She pulled her jacket around herself a little more tightly, but it was only a light denim jacket, and so it soaked through quickly. She shivered uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. Keeping her head down as she walked through the streets, not really knowing where she was going. She didn't have anywhere to go in truth. Her mother was dead, and even if her dad was alive, there was no way she wanted to go back to him. She bumped into someone, snapping her face upward to look at him. He was taller than her, considerably so, and very gaunt, wearing a heavy woollen coat. He had shaggy, dirty hair, and a heavy leather jacket. He swayed a little as he looked at her through bloodshot eyes, the drink on his breath reaching her.

"This is no weather for a young girl like you to be out and about on her own." He commented, reaching out for her. Liv pulled away and turned to leave, but two more men dressed similarly blocked her path. She spun around in her panic, trying to find a way out. "Come on, we'll get you somewhere out of this weather."

"N...n...no thank you." She stammered, trying to appear as confident as she could under the circumstances. "My house isn't far from here. M...m...my mom will be worried..."

"We'll just walk you there then." One of the men told her as they closed in on her. "We'd be only too glad to help out."

"I'm fine, I'll just..."

The first man slammed a hand into the wall near her face, barring her path. Liv looked at him a little scared by the gesture.

"Please, I really need to go!" She screamed.

As one of the men grabbed her, she screamed, hoping to attract attention from the street. As she was forced against the wall, the drunken gang were interrupted by a short blast from a siren. A slightly overweight police officer got out of the car, pulling out his gun.

"Step away from the girl!" He warned them. The leader let her go, turning to face him as the other two held her in place.

"We were just having a little fun; we weren't going to hurt her." He told him. "She said her house isn't far from here, we were just going to make sure she got home safely.

"Well it doesn't look like she's having much fun." The cop responded, pulling back the hammer on his gun. "I think it's time you boys were going home."

The leader just sneered and gestured to his two friends to let Liv go, before turning and walking away. The cop waited a few minutes, making sure the others had left, before approaching the terrified girl. He looked at her thoughtfully for a second.

"Are you Olivia Jenkins?" He asked her. Liv just nodded. "My name's Murphy, I'm a friend of Susan's."

"Mrs. Sinclaire?" Liv asked him, remembering the name from her visits to the Rock Porium. He nodded.

"I rode in the patrol car with her a few times when she was a cop." He told her. "Come with me."

"I really just want to be alone." She responded. Murphy came a little closer as she turned to leave.

"Please, it's dark, and the weather's awful." He stated sympathetically. "Please, let me take you back to the restaurant..."

As he put his hand on her shoulder, Liv panicked, swinging around and bringing her elbow into his nose, knocking him down. She ran away as quickly as she could as Murphy got back up, cradling his nose. He looked down at his blood as his partner got out the car, coming to his side.

"What was that all about?" She asked him. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Murphy responded as they went back to the car. "Just get me somewhere I can order a latte and I'll be fine."

Murphy pulled out his cell phone and dialled Susan, knowing that she would want to know he had seen her.

"Susan, its Murphy. I found Liv near the Riverside bar. I tried to get her to come with me, but she ran off. She was pretty scared." He told her. "She was heading towards Sycamore."

"Thanks for telling me Murphy." Susan replied, hanging up. She knew enough about the area to know where she was. It was unlikely to lead to anything good for the team to be out looking for her in the dark, but given the weather and the fact she knew Liv was scared, she knew she would likely be looking for somewhere she could get shelter, and she knew just where she would be heading.

Liv approached the one place she never thought she'd ever want to go again as the first flashes of lightning split the sky. She jumped a little, feeling her heart racing as she looked up in panic. She had been scared of storms ever since she was a baby. Before she had been murdered, her mother would lie with her in her bed and hold her, stroking her hair and comforting her until she fell asleep any time there was a storm. It was one of her few good memories.

She pulled out her keys as she approached the front door to her old house. She hated this place now. It had been her prison, the place her father had tortured her throughout her entire life. Another flash of thunder lit it up, showing it in its full glory. It was a nice, attractive property in a good part of town. Her father had worked hard for his image, buying a house in the most illustrious zip code area he could. To the world outside, it would have been an ideal place to live and grow up, but simply being here brought back painful memories. Unlocking the door, she made her way inside.

She tried to turn on the light switch, but found that it didn't respond. She figured that since her father had been imprisoned, and she wasn't living there, the authorities had probably had the power cut to discourage squatters. She made her way through the hall towards the stairs; she looked around, seeing all the furniture and ornaments in place, just where they had been on the day she had left. It seemed that so far, the house had not fallen prey to looters. It was a good neighbourhood, and her father had spent a fair amount of money on locks, doors and windows for security, so in some ways she shouldn't have been surprised, but a part of her almost wished it had all gone. Everywhere she looked reminded her of something.

Arriving at the top of the stairs, she saw the door to her room. Her father had replaced the door with a much heavier one, and fitted it with several sturdy locks before dragging her back from the Rock Porium. As if she needed the house to be any more of a prison, he had done it to ensure she never even thought of trying to run away again. She pushed the door open a little, looking inside. Bars had been bolted in place over the window, another reminder to her that it was pointless to try and escape him. Making her way into the room, she saw a belt draped across her desk. It had been lying there since her father had brought her back here.

Her hands shook as she reached out for it tentatively, quaking in fear like it was a living thing, waiting to strike. She had felt its bite many times in her life. She could almost feel the flesh being torn from her back just looking at it. She finally managed to lunge forward, snatching it up and throwing it against the wall.

She crossed over to the bed, pulling the covers over herself, shivering uncontrollably as the memories assaulted her. She could remember every demeaning, soul-destroying insult her father inflicted on her and her mother. She could remember every time she was on her knees before him, pleading for mercy she knew he would never show. Tears ran down her face into her pillow as she heard the hellish screams of agony all over again.

Theo came to the front door, finding it unlocked. Susan had called him as soon as she realised that she had run off in the direction of her old house. It made sense that she would want to seek shelter, but it didn't seem like this was the healthiest place for her to come to. He was painfully aware of the extent of her mistreatment at the hands of her father. Coming here was probably tantamount to stepping into hell to get a little heat. He had hoped that she wouldn't come here, and was a bit sceptical about Susan's suspicion that she would show up here, but given the fact the door was unlocked, it looked like she was right.

He heard a small, weak sobbing from upstairs and followed it to the upstairs landing. He looked around, trying to get his bearings and figure out exactly where she was, before rounding on the door to her room. He felt his heart deflating a little as he got closer and realised that she had indeed retreated to her own personal prison. He knocked on the door gently, making his way inside.

"Go away." She whispered weakly as she realised she wasn't alone, unable to look at Theo. "Leave me alone."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that Liv." He replied, closing the door over behind him as he made his way to the edge of the bed. "We were all pretty worried about you the way you ran off like that. Lily's been going out of her mind."

He looked around at the room as he sat down, laying a hand on her side as she lay curled up on the bed, holding her knees to her chest.

"Why would you come here?" Theo asked her. "I know you're upset..."

"It's where I belong." She whispered. Theo just looked a little puzzled by this remark. They had done all they could to get her out of here, and now she had come running back.

"What do you mean by that?" Theo asked her.

"It's my fault he's dead." She said as she sniffed back a tear.

"Liv, you can't believe that surely?" He asked her. She pulled into herself for warmth.

"He took so much from me; all I wanted was for him to pay for what he had done." She told him. "He had lost everything because of me. He wanted me to help him, to forgive him and I couldn't do it."

"No one blames you for that." Theo assured her as he tried to find some comforting words for her. "It's not your fault he couldn't live with it."

"All he wanted was for me to accept his apology and I turned my back on him, told him I didn't even want to carry his name." Liv mumbled as she wiped her eyes. "I took the last thing he had from him out of spite, to hurt him and because of that, he killed himself. I may as well have put a gun to his head myself and pulled the trigger."

"Liv, that isn't true. You owed him nothing." Theo told her flatly. "It was never going to be easy for him to hear that you didn't want anything to do with him."

"But..."

"He knew what he did to you and your mother was wrong, that's why he begged for your help. He couldn't face up to what he had done and was still trying to find a way to wriggle out of it."

"He killed mom and he went to prison for it." She replied. "I killed him, this is what I deserve."

"You did nothing wrong Liv, your father had every chance to do the right thing and he didn't." Theo said as he began stroking her shoulder. "You didn't kill him, he killed himself. He couldn't face up to what he had done and he took the coward's way out. You owe him nothing."

She pulled the covers back and sat up in the bed, tears still running down her face as she looked over to him.

"Lily's really worried, we all are." He told her. "Please, come home."

As Liv got up from the bed, Theo put his jacket around her for warmth, before pulling out his cell phone.

"Lily, it's Theo, I've got her." He told the Yellow Ranger. "Bring the car around to her place."

With that, he took her down to the hall to wait for Lily to come and collect her. Despite the fact he was gone; the house still had an atmosphere about it that reminded him of her. It felt like he was still there, waiting for some other opportunity to tell her again that she was worthless and find another way she was responsible for holding the family back.

The car arrived out the front, and Lily ran to the door of the house, making her way inside. She looked at Liv, feeling a huge sense of relief. Liv felt a crushing sense of shame as she looked at the woman who had taken her into her home without a word of complaint.

"I'm sorry Lily." She whimpered, beginning to tear up and shaking her head gently. Lily grabbed her, hugging her tightly as she wept.

"I was so worried about you. Don't do that again, you scared the shit out of me!" Lily said soothingly as she held the young girl. "You don't need to deal with this by yourself."

"I'm sorry Lily, I'm really sorry." She continued to sob, holding her tightly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright Liv." She whispered to her. "Come on, let's go home."

With that, they left the house, stopping only to allow Liv to lock the door, before taking her back to the car. She cast one last look back to the house before settling into the seat as they pulled away, heading back to her true home, Jungle Karma.


	104. Mr Jenkins' Estate

The following day, Liv woke up, back in her bed back at JKP. Lily and RJ had allowed her to sleep in given the shock she had endured the day before. There was no way she was in a condition to go to school that day. She pulled herself up, heading towards the en-suite.

She still couldn't stop thinking about her dad's death. She still couldn't believe he was really gone. Since she hadn't yet begun the process of emancipation, it meant that she was still related to him, and so it was her responsibility to deal with the arrangements. As she finished her shower, she made her way out to the main room where Lily was feeding David, while RJ was working on a punching drill on the wooden man.

"Morning Liv, did you sleep well?" Lily asked her as she saw the girl coming in. Liv could hardly look at her. Lily and RJ had done so much for her, and she knew she had scared them with the way she had run off after hearing the news. She didn't mean to make them worry, and she felt guilty about all the trouble she had caused.

"I slept pretty well." She replied as she went to the kitchen, looking out some cereal.

"Have you thought about what you want to do today?" RJ asked her, mopping himself down with a towel as he finished his workout. Liv got some milk from the fridge, and paused for a second as she thought about it.

"I was thinking of going to the Coroner's office." She told them. RJ and Lily looked at each other a little uneasily.

"Are you sure about that?" Lily asked her. "I know you're meant to..."

"I just want to get it over with." She interrupted Lily as she poured the milk. "The sooner I deal with this, the sooner we can get on with sorting out everything else."

"I'll go with you." Lily told her, looking to RJ, wordlessly communicating that he was on his own setting up the restaurant. Liv would need someone with her when she went to the coroner's office.

"Thanks for that." Liv replied quietly as she joined Lily by the table. "Listen, I'm sorry about last night."

"It's alright." Lily assured her. "I know you had a shock."

"No, it's more than that." Liv told her. "I never meant to scare you, but everything was just..."

"It's alright Liv, we understand." RJ stated placing a hand on her shoulder. "Take as long as you need."

"I was thinking of heading there after breakfast." Liv informed them. "I figure the sooner I deal with this the better."

"I'll be there." Lily responded, picking David up and heading for the door. "I'll just start getting his things ready."

Liv watched her go, leaving her with RJ. He looked at her a little sympathetically, knowing the day ahead was unlikely to be easy on her.

"We can talk about it if you like." He assured her. Liv just shook her head. "Well, the offer's open any time you want."

"Thanks." She replied as he smiled at her. Lily arrived back in the room with David's stroller.

"Alright Liv, we're ready to go whenever you are." Lily called out. Liv just gathered her jacket and followed her out the door. It wasn't something she was looking forward to, but with Lily there, she knew she wouldn't have to face that task alone.

Over at the school, Johnny was just leaving the gym when Mike and a few of the other seniors approached him. He pulled to one side, allowing them to pass.

"You better watch your back Mancusso." Mike warned him as he passed.

"You should think twice about making threats." Johnny replied with a smirk. "Last time Ms. Tenant didn't seem too impressed."

"I was in detention for a month because of you." Mike stated angrily.

"You got detention because of yourself." Johnny corrected him. "In case you forgot, you tried to hit me. I didn't do anything."

Johnny turned and walked away, leaving Mike and his friends behind.

"That's right, walk away and hide behind the teachers!" Mike called after him, raising a laugh from the others. "You don't have the balls to..."

"I have balls; I just prefer to think with my brain these days." Johnny called back, laughing at him. As he left, the others just looked to Mike, a little unsure how he would react. Johnny had been beaten once, humiliated publically in the cage fight, but that seemed to have done nothing to curb his attitude to the seniors. He still showed no fear of Mike and his buddies. One of his friends approached him.

"Are you going to take that?" He asked. "You should..."

"I can't just beat him, if one of the teachers catches me, I've already been warned once, I'll be suspended for sure." He explained. "Of course if he starts it, then it's a different matter."

"We'd back up your version of events." The other student told him. Mike just shook his head.

"The teachers would never buy it. Since that pregnant teacher started tutoring him, they all think he's a model student." He told his entourage. "I have to get a hold of him outside school."

"So what are you going to do?" One of his other friends asked him. Mike just smiled.

"Don't worry, I have something in mind." He assured them.

Over at the coroner's office, Liv and Lily arrived in one of the examination rooms with one of the assistants. He stopped before a table, turning to face them as they arrived.

"Just let me know when you're ready." He stated, addressing Liv. She took Lily's hand, holding it as she pulled closer to the table. She nodded her head, at which the morgue assistant pulled back the sheet.

Liv recoiled slightly as she saw him. He looked almost as if he was sleeping. She hadn't really known what to expect, but he didn't look like there was anything wrong with him, save for the bruising around his neck where the makeshift rope he had used to hang himself had had taken effect. There was a slightly blue tinge to his skin, but other than that, he looked to be relatively peaceful. After a few minutes, she nodded.

"Yeah." She breathed quietly, wiping away some tears. "That's him."

"We just need a signature from you, and then we can release him." He told her, handing her a form. Liv just signed it without another thought. "Have you...?"

"Send him to the crematorium." She told him. Lily looked at her, uncertain what she had in mind. Liv looked up to her. "I figured I should scatter his ashes in the park near where we scattered mom."

"Are you sure about that?" Lily asked her. Liv just nodded.

"I did have other ideas, but it doesn't matter how I feel about him. Mom loved him despite everything he did to us." Liv reminded her in a whisper. "She'd have wanted to be near him."

"Your mom would have been very proud of you." Lily told her with a warm smile. "I don't know many people who would be brave enough to make a decision like that."

"Just remind me of that if I'm tempted to flush him down the toilet." She muttered as the coroner started working on some paper work. "Can we go now?"

"Of course we can." Lily replied, leading her out of the room. She had no intention of keeping Liv here any longer than she needed to be. She held the young girl warmly as they walked from the room, feeling an incredible sense of pride. She had faced her father for the last time, and was able to walk away with her head held high.

In Blue Bay Harbour, Gabby was taking some spare time to hit the track again in the run up to the competition. She still hadn't told Dom that she was coming to Ocean Bluff; she wanted it to be a surprise. Instead, she was taking the time to perfect some of her tricks.

As she landed another trick, her small audience, Blake and Dustin applauded. She skidded to a halt a little way from them.

"How did I do?" She asked them, pulling off her helmet and shaking her hair loose.

"Gabby, you were awesome!" Dustin yelled with excitement, clapping a hand on her shoulder roughly. "You're totally going to burn, up the track tomorrow."

"I may be more into racing than freestyle, but I was impressed." Blake told her as she got off the bike. Gabby looked to the bike smiling a little.

"I'm really looking forward to the competition." She told them. Dustin just put his arm around her, laughing as he did so.

"Are you sure it's the competition you're looking forward to?" He teased her. "Or maybe it's seeing a certain rhino."

Gabby just smacked him in the gut playfully, laughing as he said this. Because she was at university here in Blue Bay Harbour, she didn't get to spend as much time as she'd like with Dom. It had been a few weeks now since his last visit. As they were talking, a rider blasted by near them, skidding and throwing up a mound of earth, spraying it over them as he came to a halt.

"What the hell dude?" Dustin roared, dusting himself off as he approached the rider. He pulled off his helmet, looking at them. "What's your problem?"

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." He lied with a little smirk as he looked at them. "Nice bike there, did you fish it out a dumpster?"

"Ignore him Gabby, Keith's always been a jerk." Blake warned her. "You've made your point Keith, you're an asshole, we get it, now get lost."

"I would have thought you'd want to watch how a real pro handles himself." Keith taunted Blake. "I'm so going to dust you in that race tomorrow."

"Everyone should have a dream Keith." Blake told him. "I've blasted past you in every race we've ever had."

"Tomorrow's going to be different. I just got this baby tuned." He told him, stroking the bike like it was a beloved pet. "The only thing you're going to see tomorrow is my ass."

With that, he hit the throttle, causing the wheel to spin and skidded away from them, kicking up dirt as he did so. They all held up their hands, shielding their faces from the spray as he left.

"OK, I'm seriously backing you in that race." Gabby grumbled as she watched him go. "He seriously needs to be taken down a few pegs."

"It's alright Gabby; no one beats Blake on the Ocean Bluff track." Dustin assured her as he pulled on his helmet and mounted his own bike. "Come on, I'll show you another couple of tricks you might want to try."

In Ocean Bluff, Lily and Liv arrived back at the restaurant as the lunch service was well underway. Lily came over to her husband, kissing him on the cheek.

"How are you holding up?" RJ asked Liv, seeing the girl behind her. Liv just nodded.

"I'm alright." She responded. RJ looked to Lily, flicking a thumb in the direction of the door.

"An attorney came around, he insisted on talking to Liv." He informed them. "He's upstairs."

Liv looked up to Lily, a little uncertain about what an attorney would want to talk to her about. Lily just put an arm around her.

"It's alright, I'm here." She told her. "Come on; let's just see what he wants."

As they got into the apartment, they found the lawyer sitting waiting on them. It was Kevin Jackson, the man who had originally intended to act as Mr. Jenkins' defence attorney. As Lily and Gabby approached him, he pointed to a bottle of mineral water on the table.

"Mr. James said I could have some while I waited." He told Lily. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, help yourself." Lily told him, waving him off. He poured himself another glass.

"Sorry we couldn't be meeting under better circumstances." He told Liv sympathetically. She looked up to her father's friend a little uneasily.

"What is this about?" Lily asked him. He pulled a file out of his briefcase, laying it on the desk.

"You're her guardian aren't you?" He asked Lily. She nodded in response. "Good. Since Liv's a minor, she needs an adult here for this. I'm afraid this is about her father's estate."

"We've just come back from identifying him." Lily told him. "Do we have to do this now?"

"I'm sorry, this is never pleasant." He assured them. "I can make another appointment..."

"Just get this over with." Liv interrupted him. She really did just want to settle matters with her father as soon as she could so she could get on with her life. Kevin opened the file, looking out a document.

"The thing is, despite everything your father never made a will." He informed her. Lily looked a little curious.

"He never made a will?" She asked him. "What does that mean?"

"Without any written instructions, his estate is to be distributed according to basic guidelines." He told her. "That means that his spouse..."

"Mom's dead." Liv interrupted him. Kevin just looked at her a little sheepishly, regretting bringing the matter up. He knew that, he was just explaining how the system worked.

"His estate is to be distributed among his surviving relatives." He told them. He handed the document to Liv. "Since you're under 21, we can't give you the money, but it will be held in trust until your 21st birthday. As for the house, it is now yours."

"I'm his only surviving relative." Liv whispered as she looked at the document. "I get everything?"

"After paying off his creditors, the value of his savings and shares comes to approximately 156,000 dollars." He informed her. "As I said, it'll be held in trust. By the time you turn 21, it should be a fair sum to take care of your future."

"The house is mine?" Liv asked him. He nodded his head.

"The house is yours." He reminded her. "I don't know what your intention is for it, but your father paid off the mortgage a couple of years ago. Lock stock and barrel, it's yours."

Lily held Liv as she heard him saying this. She didn't want the house. It was where she had been tortured for her entire life.

"I don't want it." Liv whimpered.

"Liv, think about this, I know you don't want to live there, but you don't have to." Lily assured her. "Just think about it for a while. You might not want to live there, but this could be a huge help for your future. The house is valuable. Even if you don't live there, it could really benefit your future."

"Mrs. James is right; it is a valuable piece of real estate." Kevin confirmed with a nod. "It could earn you enough to secure your future."

"It'll pay your way through any college you want." Lily reminded her. Liv didn't respond though, she was still trying to get over what she had heard. She was the sole beneficiary of her father's entire estate. While she couldn't touch the money until she was 21, it meant that her future had largely been taken care of.

"Liv, I need you to sign this form to say that we've had this discussion." Mr. Jackson told her, handing her a form. "As her guardian, you'll need to sign it too Mrs. Martin."

Liv and Lily both signed the form, before handing it back to the lawyer. He put it away, before extending his hand, shaking hands with both of them.

"I'm sorry; I know this is always a difficult time." He stated as he prepared to leave. "Thanks for the water Mrs. James."

As he left, Lily pulled Liv into a tight hug. It had been a hard day for the young girl, but now it was behind her. Despite taking so much from her, her father couldn't hurt her anymore, and he had given her a secure future.


	105. Gabby's Trip

Tori's van let out a few ominous creaks as Gabby loaded the last of her stuff into it. With Tori, Blake, Sally, Hunter, Dustin and Gabby all squeezing into the van, together with all their luggage for the weekend and a trailer carrying four Motocross bikes, the aging vehicle was fast approaching its limits.

"Come on guys, if we don't leave soon we'll never get to the freeway before the rush hour traffic." Tori moaned from the driver's seat. Hunter climbed into the tiny space left by the luggage, settling into the space as comfortably as he could. Given some careful packing, it was mainly bags of clothes and blankets left in this space, meaning that despite the cramped conditions, the space was surprisingly comfortable. Blake made his way in next, pulling his daughter onto his knees.

"Make yourself comfortable honey; it's going to be a long journey." He whispered to her, softly kissing her head. She settled into his arms as she looked around the van. It was going to be far from the first time they'd made such a trip. Blake took Sally and Tori with him to his competitions as often as he could. Needless to say Dustin and Blake normally went too. She had come to love these slightly cramped, cosy little road trips.

"Wow, you weren't joking when you said it was going to be cosy." Gabby remarked as she climbed in last, sliding the door closed. "It's a shame Mark had to give it a miss, but seeing how cramped it is, maybe it's for the best."

Mark had intended to go with them, but at the last minute, Stephen had been fallen ill with what the doctors suspected was meningitis, and so Mark had pulled out to stay close to the hospital to be able to keep an eye on him.

"Trust me, this is nothing." Dustin told her, getting into the passenger seat and clipping on his seat belt. "We've had more than this in the van before."

"One time we were so smooshed together, even I wasn't small enough to get a space to myself." Sally informed her. Although she was seven years old, she appeared to take much of her growth from Blake's side of the family, and was a little small for her age. She was slightly dark-skinned, with long, black hair that she had tied back into pigtails. She was wearing a Factory Blue t-shirt, and white jeans, with a Blake Bradley baseball cap. Although the competition wasn't until the next day, she always wore her heart on her sleeve so to speak right from the word go. "It's always fun."

"Yeah, Dustin lost the draw this time." Hunter told them. Gabby looked a little confused by this as Tori pulled out of the parking lot.

"What draw?" Gabby asked him.

"Its a little tradition we have, all the riders going on the trip take part in a little game of high-card draw." He explained to her as the van started to pick up speed, heading towards the freeway. "The one who picks the highest card gets the shotgun seat."

"So how does that make him the loser?" Gabby asked them. The Bradleys just laughed as they saw she still didn't understand.

"Because we have all the fun back here." Sally stated as though it was obvious. Gabby looked up to the front where Dustin seemed to be almost sulking and realised they weren't joking. They were by now so used to such trips that it was almost considered a punishment not to be in the back with the others.

"The guy in the shotgun position used to get to choose the music until the radio broke down." Tori informed her. "Now they just get the pleasure of my company."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Gabby replied. Sally leaned forward.

"Mommy says a lot of bad words when she's driving." She explained. "Daddy says she has road rage."

Blake just held his hands apart, indicating that her road rage was indeed huge. Tori just growled at this reference to her aggression behind the wheel.

"I'm not that bad, I...Hey buddy a green light means you can go!" She screamed as she started slamming her hand on the horn. "You know the gas pedal works better you..."

Blake was quick enough to cover Sally's ears as she continued to rant until the offending driver moved. Gabby just laughed.

"Okay, I see what you guys mean." She commented as they finally got to the freeway. "It's safer back here."

Over in Ocean Bluff, Liv was in the back room, doing some home work. Although she was taking another personal day to get over recent events, she had been sent some work to ensure she didn't fall too far behind. Her grades were high enough that it wasn't as though she needed to worry about taking a couple of days, but any time she stopped, all she could think about was her father and what had happened. Although she was making slow progress, bombarding her brain with Algebra and English was still better than thinking about dealing with her father's remains and what she planned to do with the house.

"Is it going slow?" RJ asked her as he came into the room. He had been for a run, and had returned to shower and change before setting up for the lunch service.

"You could say that." She muttered as she shoved the books away. "Normally this stuff's easy to me."

"Well no one can blame you for having a lot on your mind." RJ told her as he took a long slug from his water bottle. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm a lot better since I dealt with the identification." She informed him in a slightly exhausted sigh. She hadn't really done much that day, but the constant stream of mental and emotional stress recently had taken its toll on her. RJ closed over one of her books and nodded in the direction of the training mats.

"Come on, I'll take you through a few meditation exercises." He told her.

"Meditation?" She asked him. "I have…"

"How far are you really getting with this stuff really?" He asked her, pointing back to her books. She had to concede his point; she really wasn't making much progress anyway. "When my head gets all foggy and messed up and I can't concentrate, I find meditation really helps focus the mind."

"It helps focus YOUR mind?" She joked as she got up from her chair. RJ just laughed a little.

"Your books will still be there in half an hour." He told her. "Come on, what do you really have to lose?"

She just shrugged and shook her head as she followed him to the mat, kicking off her sneakers at the edge. She sat with RJ as he positioned himself to begin.

As he led her in her first meditation exercises, Lily came into the room carrying David and paused, watching them. Liv had never said anything about being interested in their training and meditation before, so she guessed it was down to RJ. Liv had been through a lot recently, and the poor kid's head had been all over the place. As Lily turned back to give them privacy, she smiled a little. She knew how much her training had helped her in some of the more chaotic times in her life. This was one of the ways RJ could help her straighten things out in her head.

The road trip was making good progress along the freeway. They had left early in the morning to avoid the worst of the traffic, and so far that had worked well. They had made incredible progress, and were now most of the way to Ocean Bluff.

Gabby laughed loudly as Blake relayed another of his old road stories, which had been suitably censored since Sally was still sitting on his lap. Hunter leant over and whispered the real ending to the story in her ear.

"It sounds like it was a wild trip." She replied. "So how did you get through the race?"

"The same way I always do." He assured them, hugging his daughter softly. "I did it with style, class, and every finger crossed!"

"It sounds like it." Gabby responded with a small laugh. She noticed that they passed a sign reading "Now Entering Ocean Bluff", and they all cheered.

"It won't be long now." Gabby told them. "My parent's place is only a couple of miles now."

"You're sure your folks won't mind putting up all of us?" Hunter asked the young Hummingbird Master, looking around at the rather crowded van. "We really don't mind springing for a couple of motel rooms..."

"You've never seen her folks' pad." Dustin said with a smile, remembering when he had been there before. "It's seriously huge. They're loaded!"

Gabby blushed a little and looked to the floor. She had spent a while with them now, and really loved her time working in Storm Chargers and hanging out at the track. Their lives were so different from what she had grown up with, and she had been so determined to earn her own way through University that she had distanced herself somewhat from her parent's lifestyle and money. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her upbringing, she just didn't want to seem like she was flaunting it or rubbing it in people's faces. It made her a little uncomfortable when the subject came around to her parents' money.

"They'll have room." She said quietly. She reached across to Sally, taking her hand. "Mom's really excited to meet you all. She said she's taking us out for pizza."

"Yay!" Sally screamed for joy as she bounced around with excitement.

"You just said the magic words." Blake told her as he tried to restrain his daughter. "How much further is it?"

"It's just up the hill a little way. It's the third house on the right." She informed them. As the van struggled up the hill, it was a fair distance before they reached the first house. Hunter, Blake and Sally all rushed to the window to get a better look at it.

"Is that a house?" Hunter asked, gesturing to a large mansion surrounded by a massive wall, sitting in a large, well-tended garden.

"Are all the houses like this?" Blake asked her as they finally got to the second. It was much the same, seeming to be more like the size of a small hotel than a house. Gabby shifted a little uneasily as they marvelled at it. This was exactly what she was worried about. It was far from what the former Ninja Rangers would have been used to. Sure, there was an affluent area in Blue Bay Harbour, but it was unlikely that they had ever been inside such a property.

Tori approached the third house, the gate slid back and Tori pulled into the drive way and up the gravel path all the way to the front of the house. Blake, Hunter and Sally all disembarked slowly, viewing the house. The former Thunder Ninja Rangers could hardly believe the size of it. It looked like the building could house both their homes and still have room for Storm Chargers inside. Sally was beaming broadly at the massive building as Dustin and her mother got out.

"Didn't I tell you?" Dustin asked them.

"Gabby!" Her father roared, running out of the house as he saw her getting out of the van. He reached her and grabbed her into a tight hug. "Honey, it's great to see you again!"

"It's great to see you too dad." She greeted him as she released him. "Dustin you've already met. This is Hunter, Tori, her husband Blake, and their daughter Sally."

"You have a beautiful house." She rushed out excitedly. "It's like a big old castle or something."

"I'm glad you like it." George greeted her, kneeling down to her level and shaking her hand. He stood back up and started shaking hands with the others.

"We really appreciate you putting us up for the weekend." Blake said as he put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Thanks Mr. Wallace."

"Please, call me George." He replied casually. "It's nothing; you've taken good care of my little girl. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine. Make yourselves at home."

Blake, Hunter and Dustin started to unload the bags, while Tori and Gabby took Sally inside. The inside was no less grand than the exterior. George led them through to the sitting room where Deborah was just bringing in some refreshments. Seeing her daughter, she ran over excitedly and launched herself into a passionate hug.

"Honey, it's wonderful to see you again!" She gushed over her daughter. Sally just looked between them with her mouth hanging open, pointing between them a little confused. She had a seven-year-olds understanding of genetics, and so she knew that it was common for kids to share traits with one or both of their parents, but in this case, it was a whole other level. Everyone always commented on how alike Gabby and her mother were when they first saw them together; they were virtually identical in appearance. Tori grabbed her hand, hoping that Mrs. Wallace hadn't noticed her staring and been offended, but she just laughed as she saw this.

"It's alright; everyone always talks about how much Gabby looks like me." She assured Tori, looking down to her daughter. "You must be Sally, Gabby's told me a lot about you."

"I'm Tori, Sally's mother." Tori introduced herself, shaking her hand. "You have a beautiful home here. I've never seen anything like it."

"Well I can't complain. Please, call me Deborah." She said, returning the greeting. Dustin, Blake and Hunter struggled in the door with the bags causing her to look around at them. "Well, it looks like you aren't travelling light. Making good use of the boys I see."

"They have their uses." Tori sniggered as they all but collapsed on the floor under the weight of their luggage. "How are you Dustin?"

"I'm good thanks Deborah." He replied as he checked to make sure his arms weren't any longer than before. "This is Hunter."

"Hi!" He answered, shaking her hand as she approached.

"This is my daddy!" Sally chirped as she launched herself at Blake, hugging him tightly.

"My name's Blake, thanks for the rooms." Blake introduced himself. "Look, most of this is all tools. Do you have a garage or something you want us to keep them in?"

"As long as I don't find bikes having their oil changed in the house, make yourself at home." She told them. "George, why don't you show our guests to their rooms and get them settled in? Maybe once they've unpacked; we can spend a little while by the pool and get to know each other a little better."

George grabbed a couple of the bags, struggling a little with their weight, and led them into the hall towards the staircase. The others all followed, leaving Gabby alone with her mother. It was the first time they had seen each other since Gabby had left for University.

"You're looking well." Deborah said to her daughter. "Are you enjoying things out there?"

"I really am. The apartment's great, Stephen and Mark are really good to me." She assured her mother.

"You said Stephen was sick, is he aright?" Deborah asked her.

"He's in the hospital, but the doctors keep saying he's responding well to treatment." She informed her a little sadly. "Mark wanted to stay close by."

"I guess I can understand that." Deborah said sympathetically. "Let them know I was thinking about them."

"I will." Gabby assured her, moving a little closer. "Are you sure Dom doesn't know anything?"

"RJ promised not to tell him you were coming." Deborah said wit a sly little grin. As much as she knew her daughter was happy to see her, she was well aware of the fact that one of the main attractions of attending the competition in Ocean Bluff was to get a chance to surprise Dom and spend some time with him. "I've booked us all in for a table at one. RJ's sending Dom on a fake delivery to get him out of the restaurant a little before we arrive."

"I can't wait to see him." Gabby said a little distantly thinking of her fiancé. "It seems like ages since he was able to visit."

"Well I'm sure he'll love to see you here." Deborah replied. Just then, Sally burst into the room, followed closely by Tori.

"I saw a pool in the yard!" She called out excitedly. Deborah just laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Well maybe when we get back." Deborah promised her as she gathered her jacket. "Right now, I think there's a certain pizza waiter my daughter would like to see."

Over in JKP, Liv finished with her meditation, feeling a lot more clarity in her thoughts than she had done before. Her troubles and her feelings were still there, but everything seemed so much more ordered now. She opened her eyes, finding RJ smiling at her.

"It works doesn't it?" He asked her. Liv nodded in response. Johnny came into the room, finding them sitting on the mat in the lotus position and looked a little confused.

"Are you training Liv now?" He asked the Wolf Master. RJ just looked to her.

"That's all up to her." He replied. "Is that something you'd like? Lily and I would be only too happy to train you."

"You mean Kung Fu?" She asked him a little surprised. "I'm not sure, I don't like hurting people…"

"I hate hurting people too. That's not what it's about, it's about building the spirit, the strength and the confidence, that you don't need to hurt people." He explained. "Of course, fighting is a part of it, but the way I see it, if someone's trying to hurt me or someone I care about, I'd prefer to know how to stop them."

"What dad did…"

"This is nothing like what your father did, that's the most important thing to know." He put down flatly. "Your father hurt you intentionally because to hide his own weakness. This is about building strength so you don't need to hurt others to feel good."

"I like the sound of that part." She said with a small smile. "Do you really think I could do it?"

"Anyone who wants to learn for the right reasons, and who has the patience and perseverance to stick at it can learn." He told her, touching her shoulder softly. "It's up to you."

Liv looked between RJ and Johnny. Like everyone else, she had noticed a big change in him. She had to admit not knowing him terribly well, only what the other kids kept saying, that he was bad news and that he kept getting into fights, but now he seemed to be a lot more focused on his studies, improving drastically to the point that everyone noticed. There were even rumours that Ms. Tenant was about to take him off academic probation, something she never did. Usually academic probation was simply a formality before expulsion for her.

She then thought about the peace these few exercises had brought her in the relatively short time of this one morning. She nodded her head.

"I'll do it." She responded. RJ just flicked nimbly to his feet and helped her up.

"Well Lily and I would be only too happy to teach you." He assured her. "Johnny, it looks like you have a training partner from now on."

"That's great RJ." He responded. "You know, you were meant to show me some stuff in my lunch break, but somehow I think we'll be giving it a miss."

"Why do you say that?" He asked him.

"Because lunch service is in about 10 minutes and you've still to have a shower." He reminded him. "Mrs. James asked me to tell you she had to set up the restaurant by herself."

"Oh great, I'm in trouble." RJ replied as he checked his watch, realising he was right. He turned and ran for the shower. "Lily's going to be so pissed. Sorry Johnny, rain check?"

"No problem." He laughed as RJ left them. Liv just joined him in a laugh at RJ's expense, so much for the Wolf Master being focused and on task.


	106. Gabby and Dom

Dom arrived at JKP for his shift, finding Lily only just finishing setting up the restaurant by herself, muttering as she did so. David was in his high-chair a little way off, scribbling on a sheet of paper with some crayons and giggling happily.

"Setting up by yourself?" He asked her as he looked around, noticing that RJ was nowhere in sight.

"Don't remind me." She groaned, turning to him. "I shouldn't mind, he was just helping Liv through some of the stuff she's been going through."

"How's the kid holding up?" He asked her. "I can't imagine it's easy."

"She's not doing too badly. RJ helped her meditate to try and straighten out what's going on in her mind." Lily commented. "It's not helping matters that Thanksgiving is this week."

"Poor kid, she's got a couple of firsts to look forward to." Dom replied sympathetically. "The first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first New Year..."

"I really don't know what to do." Lily admitted as she heard her cell phone chiming to warn her she had a text message. "I mean, it's not going to be easy for her facing these days, but if I just try to ignore it and pretend it isn't happening, then I might just bring more attention to the fact it's Thanksgiving."

"I guess the best thing would be to just have as normal a time as possible." He replied with a shrug. "You'll be there for her if she gets upset. She might not be in the mood to celebrate, but maybe having her family around her is just what she needs right about now."

"I guess that's probably true." She stated as she checked her messages. She smiled as she realised it was from Gabby, warning her that they were about to arrive. "Oh, that reminds me, before you get too comfortable; can you run a delivery out to 319 Levinson?"

"Sure I guess." He said with a shrug. Lily went into the kitchen, pulling out a couple of boxes and handing them to him. "Three orders of garlic bread, extra dip."

"I'll be as quick as I can." He assured her as he turned and left. Lily made sure he was gone, before dialling Gabby's cell.

"He's just leaving now." She informed them with a little grin as she watched him take the JKP van, and head out on the bogus delivery run. "I sent him several blocks away. He won't be back for ages. The coast is clear."

Fran was in the teacher's lounge, counting down the minutes until her maternity leave began. It was now only about six weeks until her son was due, and while she loved her job, she was also excited about the prospect of getting time off to rest up before the baby arrived. The fact that it was also the day that Gabby was arriving back in Ocean Bluff for the weekend was a real bonus, since it was the last time she'd see her friend before the baby was born.

Dr. Jennings came into the room, carrying his sandwich bag, and a flask of coffee. He took a seat with her in the corner, away from where Ms. Foster was busy regaling some of the other teachers with her views on how best to deal with the "hell spawn" that "plagued the corridors of her school".

"She really doesn't like kids does she?" Fran asked him, shaking her head a little. "How did she ever get a job as principal?"

"They say nice guys finish last, so…" Dr. Jennings replied with a shrug. Fran just laughed a little. "I'm really going to miss you.

"I'll only be gone a couple of months." She reminded him `"I'll be back next year."

"Well that doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you." He reiterated as he looked out his sandwich. "You have done some great work here already. I think even Ms. Tenant's starting to take notice."

"I still say she doesn't like me very much." Fran commented.

"As I told you on your first day here, she doesn't like anyone much." Dr. Jennings reminded her. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small parcel, handing it to her. "Anyway, just before the rest of the staff start with the traditional baby gift, here's a little something I got for you."

"You bought me a present?" She asked him as a bright smile crossed her face. "You didn't need to do that."

"I wanted to." He assured her. He looked up as a couple of the other teachers came over, carrying gift bags. "It looks like now's the time."

"Mrs. Martin, we all had a whip round earlier this week." Mr Klein, the Shop teacher told her, handing her the first of three large bags. "We all want to wish you well."

"Thank you, I can't believe you all did this!" She gushed as she accepted the bags. A couple of tears started to form in her eyes at the moment. She had only been at the school a couple of months. "Thank you so much."

"Well the best present is yet to come." Dr. Jennings told her as Ms. Foster left the room. He leaned a little closer. "Go home."

"It's only lunch time." Fran babbled a little, looking around at all of them. "I..."

"We'll cover for you." Dr. Jennings assured her with a wink. "I'm sure Theo would prefer to have you home a little early."

"Thank you all so much." She replied as she started to gather her presents together. She was utterly grateful for everything they had done for her, and she knew that if she hurried, she could get to the restaurant in time to see Gabby when she arrived. The teachers all crowded around her, hugging her and shaking her hand as she prepared to go. Last of all, she came to Dr. Jennings, who just smiled at her.

"Good luck Fran." He whispered as he hugged her. Fran kissed him softly on the cheek. "I'll keep in touch. I want to know as soon as the little one is born."

"I promise I'll keep you posted." She told him as she made her way to the door. "Thank you!"

Over at another part of town, Dom got out of the van to get a closer look at the houses. He had been driving around Levinson now for several minutes, looking for the elusive number 319.

He approached the final block, checking the house numbers. He groaned loudly as he got to the last house, finding the number 315. Flipping out his cell phone, he dialled the restaurant. Lily answered just as Gabby and the others were filing into the restaurant. She held a finger to her lips to tell them all to remain quiet and maintain the surprise.

"Lily, it looks like we've been stung." He told her as he put the bag back into the back of the van. "Levinson only goes up to 315. After that it becomes Lincoln."

"Not another prank call!" She complained, though trying not to give the game away by laughing. "Sorry Dom. Just head back here."

"I'll be back in a little while." He grumbled as he hung up, before firing up the engine. He hated prank calls. It was a waste of time, but it was an occupational hazard of operating a delivery service.

Back at the restaurant, Lily hung up the phone as Gabby, her parents and the former Ninja Rangers made themselves comfortable. RJ came into the restaurant a little sheepishly, still a little worried about reprisals from Lily for forgetting about her and leaving her to set up the restaurant alone. He came over with Lily to greet them.

"Gabby, it's great to see you back!" Lily yelled, hugging her former dance student tightly. "You look great, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, just getting into the routine of shifts at the store, essays and study periods." She replied as they parted. "I'm really grateful for my time at the track. It's one of the few times I get to relax these days."

She looked to the high chair with a huge smile as she saw David, coming over and touching his cheek softly.

"I can't believe he's grown so much." She stated as the little boy positively bounced with excitement at seeing her. He loved the attention he got from the crowd, and he was only too pleased to see her. "He's getting huge!"

"So how has business been RJ?" Dustin asked, drawing their attention back to the table. RJ smiled proudly.

"This competition's bringing in loads of people from out of town. I'm expecting to be swamped." He told them, handing him a flyer. "I've got a promotion going with the organiser. Anyone who comes in with a pass from the competition gets a ten percent discount."

"The only down side is that it means we'll miss the contest." Lily added. "I know it's great for business, but I'd really have loved to see you all compete."

"Oh, that reminds me, the introductions." Tori stated, realising that Lily didn't really know most of the crew. "Of course you know me and Dustin. This is Hunter, my husband Blake, and this little trouble maker down here is my daughter Sally."

"I finally get to meet you after all!" Lily greeted the young girl, kneeling beside her. "Your mommy told me all about you."

"Was that when she was in Ocean Bluff before?" Sally asked her. Lily nodded in response.

"Well that's my little boy David over there." She informed Sally, pointing to the high chair. "Why don't you go and say hello?"

As Sally introduced herself to Lily's son, Casey and Camille came into the restaurant with an empty stroller, Camille leading Holly by the hand. She was learning to walk, and by the looks of things doing quite well, but the stroller was there just in case she tired herself out too much. Theo was a little way behind them.

"Hey guys, glad to see you all made it!" Casey rushed out, beginning to shake hands with his friends. Coming finally to Gabby, he leant in, kissing her on the cheek gently. "So you're going to be tearing up the track with them tomorrow?"

"I'm really looking forward to it." Gabby told him. "I'm kind of just hoping I don't embarrass myself."

"Trust me, with some of the moves I've seen you pulling, you have nothing to worry about." Dustin told her confidently. "Just try to relax and enjoy it."

"Speaking of which, I think I see our delivery van pulling into the parking lot." RJ told them. "It looks like your fiancé's back."

Gabby settled down into the booth, setting herself between her mother and father as he walked in, straight past their booth and over to the counter where Lily was waiting for him.

"Here's the bread back." Dom sighed, handing over the boxes. Lily noticed that they were light by a few slices, something he would likely soon regret. "I hate prank calls."

"It's alright; I'll just put this away." Lily told him, handing him a check pad. "There's a large table just arrived, why don't you take their order?"

Dom took the pad from her and made his way over, barely even looking up. He stopped in front of them, ready to take the order.

"So what can I get for you?" He asked them.

"A pizza with bananas?" Sally asked, slightly surprised by the menu. "Can I try that please?"

"One Thrilla Gorrila, one Hawaiian and one seafood over here please." Tori stated. Dom looked up a little as he recognised her voice.

"Tori!" He yelled, seeing her. "You guys are here for the competition?"

"Yes, we are indeed." Dustin chipped in, stretching his arms above his head in a fake yawn, before turning his hands to point across the booth. "And we brought you a little surprise."

Dom turned to the other side and saw Gabby sitting between her parents, flashing a huge, bright grin at him. Dom immediately dropped the check pad and moved closer, throwing his arms around her, laughing with excitement.

"Gabby, I can't believe you're here!" He called out as he finally released her. "When did you get in? How long are you here?"

"I'm here over the weekend for the competition." She told him, leaning in and kissing him. Sally let out a little whoop of excitement at the display, while a couple of the others all recoiled, pretending to feel ill.

"Well I'm glad one of you approves." Gabby said, looking at Sally with a broad smile. "So, would you like to have lunch with us?"

Dom looked hopefully over to Lily and RJ, who stood looking at each other thoughtfully, pretending to consider whether or not to let him out of his shift or not. In his excitement to see Gabby, he obviously hadn't thought about the amazing coincidence of having a prank call at just the right time to get him out of the restaurant while Gabby and the others arrived. He clasped his hands in front of himself, pleading with them to allow him to miss this shift.

"Of course you can." Lily giggled, finally putting him out of his misery. "Who do you think set up this little surprise for you?"

"We're always glad to help young love find its path." RJ added with a smirk. Dom pulled off his cap, taking a seat by Gabby in the increasingly-cosy booth.

"You look amazing, how have you been?" Dom asked her as he settled in next to her.

"A lot better for seeing you." She replied, leaning in and kissing him once more. She looked at him a little grumpily as they parted. "I guess you couldn't resist the garlic bread huh?"

"I was hungry." He complained. At that, about a dozen hands all shot right under his nose, each one holding a packet of mints. Dom and Gabby just laughed. It might not be the cosiest or most romantic way to reunite, but it certainly was going to be fun.

In another part of the city, Keith arrived in a motel with a couple of other members of his team. They had picked up a sponsor from a big name bike dealer, and were more than well enough funded to afford some of the best equipment on the market, and a few luxuries as well on the road. Normally they spent a considerable amount of time the day before a competition poring over numerous clips of their confirmed opposition and the tracks they were going to be racing on, hoping to gain some form of knowledge that would serve as an advantage to them.

Keith swaggered up to the desk while the others struggled with the bags. Such menial tasks were beneath him as the leader of his team. All he had to worry about was turning up.

"Are you checking in?" The receptionist asked him, greeting him with a slightly artificial smile and forced cheerful disposition.

"No, we just thought we'd hang around in the lobby." He snapped sarcastically, gesturing to the bags. He grabbed one from one of the crew members and plopped it down on the desk, rifling through it, before finding his reservation and handing it to the receptionist. "We were told we could park the truck around the back."

"Of course. There is a conference room set up with a wet bar, TV and DV player just like you asked for in the reservation."

"It's good to see that you have the intelligence to read a fax." Keith responded, eliciting a small laugh from the others as he snatched his room key and the conference room key from the receptionist. He handed his room key to one of his crew members. "I'm in room 116, put my stuff in there. All of you, just dump your gear and then come to conference room 4. We need to do some research."

He left the others to deal with the luggage, while he went to the conference room, pulling a list out of his pocket and inspecting it. Normally most of the riders would have a fair idea of who was competing from their home track, just by listening to the gossip, but he had an edge. With the money from Iazamu motorcycles behind him, he was able to lay down a few well-placed bribes to get most of the names of the competitors, allowing him time to research them and prepare.

The competition in Ocean Bluff wasn't huge, and wasn't attracting most of the multi-national teams, but it was certainly going to be a lucrative prospect to win even a few of the events. Keith had made his current sponsors very happy with the amount of trophies he won, and the publicity that came with it. This competition was one that was normally a Factory Blue dominated event. Their riders had won most of the events on the Ocean Bluff competition now for the last three years, and Keith knew that to break that cycle would get his sponsorship deal with Iazamu extended for at least another couple of years once the publicity started to come in.

Arriving in the conference room, he took a seat on a large, leather easy-chair and grabbed a beer, flicking the cap off carelessly onto the floor as the others started to arrive. They all took seats around the room, getting themselves some refreshments as one of them started up a DVD.

"So what do you think our chances are?" One of his team mates asked, sitting by him and sipping a soda casually. Keith just looked at him and snorted.

"Get yourself a real drink Warren; it's embarrassing to be seen with you." He sneered in disgust. "Don't worry; we have things in the bag. Iazamu's latest line of bikes is the top of the line."

"I know, it's just...there are a lot of strong riders out there." Warren reminded him. "Brooks is in the senior freestyle, and not to mention both the Bradleys..."

"You're freestyle; you leave the racing to me." Keith told him. "Hunter's good, but he's writing his own ticket. His bike's not going to be anywhere near a match for the rig the sponsor's set me up with."

"What about Blake?" Warren asked him. "He's unbeaten on this track."

"Things change." Keith told him with a chuckle, pulling a small bottle of pills out of his jacket. "I know Factory Blue set him up with a decent bike and I know he's good, but trust me, by the time that flag goes up, he'll be lucky if he can even sit on the bike, never mind ride it."


	107. The Contest

The following morning, Gabby was woken up roughly as a highly excited Sally burst into her room and started jumping up and down on her bed.

"Wake up wake up it's nearly time to go!" She yelled as she bounced on the bed, shaking Gabby awake. Gabby checked her alarm clock and groaned as she realised it was only 6:30. She grumbled a little as she found herself grateful for being an only child. She was not a morning person.

"Sally, leave Gabby alone. Not everyone likes to get up at the crack of dawn." Tori chastised her daughter as she waved her out of the room. Sally sprang from the bed and ran from the room in search of her father. "Sorry about that, she's always a little excitable on race days."

"I'm sure between her father and her uncle she'll end up being another petrol head." Gabby yawned as she stretched herself awake. She pulled herself from her bed and started looking for a towel. "So where are the guys?"

"Your dad was kind enough to agree to let them use his garage to do a few last minute checks on the bikes." Tori informed her. "Your mom's handling the breakfast, so she's earned herself a few devoted fans. Trust me; you don't ever want to see what Dustin's like if he's low on sugar."

"I would have thought he was worse on a sugar rush." Gabby commented. Tori just shook her head.

"Trust me; he gets real cranky if his blood sugar gets too low." Tori replied as Gabby went to the en-suite to start getting her shower to temperature. "Are you excited yet?"

"I'd say terrified is more like it." Gabby replied as she started her shower. "Any time I think about hitting the track I start shaking."

"Just try to relax. Dustin would never have recommended you enter if he wasn't sure you'd get through it." Tori said reassuringly as she looked around Gabby's room. She smiled and laughed a little as she saw the massive pile of cuddly toys stacked in the corner of the room. The only one that wasn't there was a little plush rhino, which had pride of place in her bed with her. It was obviously a gift from Dom. Her room was a testament to her love of cuddly toys. "Just don't worry about the contest, just go out there and have fun. If you get points, that's great but that's not the point."

"That's not what Keith and the others seem to think." Gabby replied as she shut off the shower and started to dry herself off. "I've seen Warren ride, and he seems to be pretty set on taking the cup."

"If all you worry about is taking home cups, that's when it stops being fun." Tori reminded her. "Warren and Keith forgot that long ago. They're just chasing the money."

"Well they seem to have plenty of it with Iazamu behind them." Gabby stated as she pulled on a bath robe, making her way back into her room. "They're one of the biggest sponsors there is."

"They have pretty much caught up with Factory Blue in the number of contests they win." Tori agreed. "They really want to expand into the states. They've pretty much monopolised the Japanese market, and now they're trying the same here."

"Well with Warren and Keith riding for them, they might just manage it." Gabby sighed as she started looking out an outfit. When she found out she'd be competing, Kelly had commissioned a new set of coveralls for her, advertising Storm Chargers. She had been looking forward to trying them out, and now she was getting the chance. It was a hard-wearing outfit with Kevlar plates to protect her spine and kidneys. It was white, with black piping and pink panels. Kelly knew that pink was Gabby's favourite colour. It had her name across the shoulders in bold letters, just high enough on the back that it would show over the body armour, which Kelly had also provided, carrying the Storm Chargers logo.

"Just have fun today alright?" Tori reiterated, patting her on the shoulder. "Your mom should have the breakfast ready soon."

"Thanks Tori. I'll try to calm down a little." Gabby told her. "I'm just getting dressed. I'll be down in a little while."

"I'll just check on the guys." Tori told her. "Knowing Blake, he'll probably be tempted to try and double the power of your engine."

With that, Tori just left, leaving her to her privacy. Gabby was still nervous about competing, but she was excited too. She hadn't been riding long, but she loved it with a passion. Sometimes when her coursework got a little too much, and she couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, it was the thought of blasting around the track that got her through. She grabbed the coveralls and smiled. Knowing Dom was going to be watching her, she was sure to try her best. She didn't want to embarrass herself, but Tori was right. It didn't matter if she won, or even if she came in dead last. All that mattered was that she loved riding, and she would put on the best show she could for herself, and for Dom.

Tori arrived out the back, finding Blake, Hunter and Dustin working on the bikes. Dustin was covered in oil as he reassembled the engine on his bike.

"Wow, it looks like you've all been working hard." Tori stated as she came over. She grabbed Sally as she was about to pick up an oil-covered engine part, stopping her from getting her clothes messed up before the competition. "If I touch the bikes, they're not going to blow up right?"

"Please, who's a better pit crew than us?" Hunter asked his sister-in-law. Tori just looked at him with her mouth hanging open.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" She asked him. She noticed a spray gun a little way off. "What's with the spray gun?"

"Well we decided that if Gabby's taking part in the competition, she should look the part." Blake said proudly, gesturing to the garage. "Kelly took care of her riding gear, so we decided to spruce her bike up a little."

"You painted her bike?" Tori asked him. "Don't you think you should have asked her first?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise." Dustin chipped in as he wiped his hands on a rag. "Trust me; she's going to love it."

Later in the day, crowds swarmed around the track as the teams arrived, starting to set up. Refreshment stands were being set up, and local television stations were beginning to do checks before the contest started. The Iazamu team truck rolled into an available space, causing a stir from the crowd as they blasted out heavy metal music to announce their arrival. Keith arrived behind them on a Harley Davidson, racing in recklessly before skidding to a halt, stopping inches from the crowd. A huge cheer went up as he pulled off his helmet.

Keith looked around the crowd, feeling a sense of satisfaction as they welcomed him. He had earned a considerable amount of fans over his time on the circuit. He really had no care for the fans at all, save for the way they stroked his ego. He signed a few autographs as the Storm Chargers crew arrived in Tori's van. The two entrances couldn't have been more different. A few fans rushed over for autographs as Blake, Dustin and Hunter spent time with their fans.

Gabby suddenly felt a little self-conscious as she got out the van. This was a million miles from what she was used to on the track back in Blue Bay Harbour. She was surrounded by fans, far more than she had ever seen at a track before. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively and shrunk into herself a little as a couple of reporters started to crowd around Blake.

"This is Sandra Forbes for Good Morning Ocean Bluff, here with Factory Blue's biggest star, Blake Bradley as he and his team begin to get ready the competition. Mr. Bradley, how do you feel about the crowd here in Ocean Bluff?"

"The crowd's amazing as always, I love each and every one of them." Blake responded. "I'm just here with my family, having a great time."

"Daddy's the best!" Sally shrieked with excitement as she bounded into the shot. "He's going to win for sure."

"My number one fan." Blake replied with a laugh as he lifted her up, pulling the skip of her cap down, covering her face. Sally just pulled it back up, giggling.

"So do you think you have a good shot at the title?" Sandra asked him. "Your daughter sounds confident."

"I just like to let the race run its course and see what happens." Blake told her. "There are a lot of great riders out here today, and a lot of great bikes. All I can do is try my best and hope everything works out."

"The Iazamu team has already gone on record as saying they intend to walk away with all the gold today. What do you have to say in response?" She continued. Blake just laughed.

"A long time ago, a wise man told me that declaring victory before a contest is a lot like predicting the plot of a soap opera." Blake answered in a small laugh. "It's almost impossible, and ultimately futile. All you can do is enjoy the race."

"Dustin Brooks, you are once again competing in the senior's Freestyle, and many are tipping you as one to watch. I have to ask, since you attend so many competitions, why have you never turned professional and signed with a team?" She asked the former Yellow Ranger.

"Unlike my friend here, while I enjoy motocross, I have other things on my agenda." He answered her. "I have a number of youth outreach programmes in Blue Bay Harbour, the most well-known of which is the Blue Bay Lions hockey team. I love serving the community back in Blue Bay."

"So who do you think it the talent to watch here today?" Sandra asked him. Dustin grabbed Gabby and pulled her into shot. She tried to look away, covering her face.

"Well my latest student in motocross here Gabby's really impressed me." Dustin stated, holding her fast as she tried to walk away. "It's her first time out in front of judges, but trust me, this girl is on fire. Gabby Wallace in the junior freestyle is going to be all over the highlight reels!"

Blake was sitting a little way off as he watched Gabby fidget uncomfortably in front of the cameras. He had to laugh. He knew Dustin was just trying to be supportive, but Gabby was nervous enough without him heaping pressure on her by attracting attention. A woman came from the refreshments tent, carrying a bottle of Gatorade. Just as she had been bribed to do, she popped a pill into the bottle, which fizzed and dissolved quickly in the liquid. She tapped Blake on the shoulder, handing him the bottle.

"The refreshments are complimentary to competitors." She informed him. Blake just smiled and lifted the bottle in greeting. She watched as he lifted it to his lips, tipping it, and waiting as the liquid almost hit his lips. He suddenly stopped as he noticed Dom and the others arriving by the main entrance.

"Hunter, hold this will you?" He asked as he handed it to his brother. "Dom, we're over here!"

Hunter just shrugged and put the bottle on a table by their bikes. Dom rushed over, joining them. Gabby quickly joined them, throwing herself into his arms and kissing himself excitedly.

"Gabby, you look great!" Dom complimented her, surveying her in her new outfit. "Wow!"

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." She said, pulling her hair nervously. "Dustin's sweet, but I really wish he wouldn't keep drawing attention to me. If I fall on my butt..."

"Gabby, calm down." Dom told her as he put his arm around her. "You'll be fine."

"I can't stop shaking." She admitted, holding her hand up for him to see. "The junior's freestyle is the first event."

Just then, her head snapped up as her name was called. She turned a few shades paler as the heard this.

"Gabby, just calm down and clear your head." Master Phant told her. Hunter came over with the bottle of Gatorade and handed it to him, at which he handed it to Gabby. "Remember your training. Just clear your mind and focus on the task at hand. Ignore the crowd and the judges."

Gabby threw the blue liquid back, quaffing it enthusiastically. Blake smiled a little as he went to her bike.

"Just have fun and remember. If you do anything..." He whipped the covering sheet off it, showing her the freshly-painted bike. "Look good doing it."

She marvelled at the job they had done. It was pink, matching her coveralls, and had the Order of the Claw insignia painted either side of the petrol tank. She ran a hand over softly as the announcer called her name again.

"Gabby, it's time." Hunter told her, popping her helmet on her head and drumming on it. "Come on; get your butt out there!"

Gabby straddled her bike and hit the throttle, making her way to the starting position. She stopped there, and pulled down her goggles, but wavered a little as she found her vision becoming a little blurry. She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts as she heard the claxon sound, announcing the beginning of her routine. She gunned the engine and powered down the track.

On the side lines, Liv was watching the event while the rest of the JKP crowd went about their business. She felt a little tap on her shoulder and spun around to find Mike standing behind her.

"What do you want?" She groaned, rolling her eyes as she saw him.

"I guess I deserve that. I know I come across a little aggressive." He told her.

"A little? Johnny's face looked like a bad meatloaf after you were through with him!" She reminded him. He shook his head sadly at the memory.

"I shouldn't have done that, I know I shouldn't have." He told her. "It's just that he hurt a couple of my friends. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't just let him get away with that."

"They jumped him." Liv reminded him. Mike just sighed.

"I know, but I don't like to see any of my friends suffer." He told her. "I heard about your dad."

"Everyone heard about my dad genius." She replied sarcastically. "It was front page news..."

"I know what you're going through, my dad killed himself too." He interrupted her. Liv just looked at him a little shocked by his admission. "He was a hot shot real estate salesman, but one day the work dried up and he got laid off. He OD'd in our living room."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Liv replied, a little surprised to find herself feeling a little surprised that he was talking to her about this.

"For a long time I felt so alone, like nothing mattered any more. I wondered how we'd ever get through. I know everyone tells you it'll get better, but what do they know? How can they unless they experience it too?"

"What happened?" Liv asked him, suddenly a little curious. He was right about that. All anyone ever seemed to say was that things would work out, that life would go on, and all the usual clichés, but no one ever offered her any practical insight. No one seemed to know how she really felt.

"Me and my mom just had to learn to live with it." He told her. "For a while I hated dad for leaving us, but in time I had to find a way to live with it. In time I just thought that in his own way, even if he wasn't thinking straight, he thought he was doing what was right for us."

"I never thought about it like that." Liv admitted. "The last time I saw him, dad said he knew he had faults."

"Listen, there's going to be a party on the beach next weekend. All the seniors go." He told her. "Maybe you'd like to come?"

"I'm a freshman." She reminded him. He just smiled.

"Sometimes all you need is to blow off a little steam." He told her. "I'll see you around at school."

As he left, Liv turned back to the track, leaning on the guard rail and smiled. Finally someone seemed to know what she was going through.

Mike got to the refreshments tent and went to his friends. One of the cheerleaders handed him a cup of punch, at which he pulled out a hip flask and spiked it, beginning to drink.

"I never knew your dad killed himself." She commented. Mike just laughed.

"He may as well have, after the divorce he moved to Mobile." He replied. "He's pumping gas or something like that."

"Why are you so interested in the munchkin?" One of his friends asked. Mike just smiled.

"Mancusso's been hanging around her a lot recently. He works with her in that pizza place." He explained. "I think once he finds out I'm messing with her, he's bound to try and play Sir Galahad."

"What if he doesn't come?" The cheerleader asked him. Mike just smiled.

"They don't call it the Cherry Harvest party for nothing." He responded. "I think one way or another; I'll not have to go after Mancusso. He'll come after me, and if that happens. Once I'm finished kicking his ass, I'll just sit back and watch the cops turf his worthless ass in Juvie."

Back on the track, Gabby was throwing herself into another trick as the crowd cheered. She was getting a lot of good feedback for her performance, bolstering her confidence.

She skidded to a halt ahead of another ramp as her vision blurred again. She didn't know if it was just nerves, but it seemed like everything was becoming distorted, and all the sounds blended into one massive din. Looking to the sidelines, she saw Dustin gesturing wildly.

"Gabby, what are you doing?" He screamed at her. "You still have time, go for it!"

Gabby gunned the throttle, blasting up the ramp, but that was when things started to go wrong. She felt her grip loosening on the handlebars as she launched skyward, and the bike started to slip away. Everything slowed down as she flipped over and over, falling towards the earth. She landed with a sickening crunch, bouncing over again and again. The bike landed on her legs, before bouncing away, throwing earth and other debris in all directions. Gabby's body slid into the restraining wall, before coming to rest, unmoving. Dom, Michelle and Flit all vaulted the barrier as they saw her finally coming to rest.

"Gabby!" Dom roared as he rushed towards her. "Gabby!"

Michelle reached her first, sliding to a halt on her knees next to her. She carefully removed Gabby's helmet.

"Gabby, can you hear me?" She asked her, cradling her head to immobilise it as the medical crew arrived. "Gabby!"

Gabby just lay unconscious, and unmoving on the ground. Dom fought his instincts to just hold her as Michelle and the emergency team checked over her. No one noticed as Keith went back to his truck, hardly able to breathe. The pill had been meant for Blake. He only wanted to leave him unable to race; he never wanted anyone to get hurt. Now though, all he could do was hope no one would find out about his part in Gabby's accident.


	108. Broken Wing

A grim silence fell over the crowd at the bike track in Ocean Bluff. It was an unfortunate fact that crashes were not uncommon at these events, but normally the riders got up and were moving around within a few minutes. It usually just added to the excitement of the competition and provided something for the highlight reel. Generally the riders were fine, and it became something of a joke to tell at the party afterwards, however this was different. Gabby hadn't moved since the crash. Michelle and a couple of stewards continued to look after her as an ambulance made its way through the crowd.

Fran, Jarrod and Susan all crowded around Dom, comforting him as he fought his instincts to simply rush over and hold her. He wanted to look after her himself, but he knew that it was best that Michelle and the emergency crew looked after her.

Michelle opened her eyes and checked her pupils as one of the race stewards attached a stiff collar around her neck, immobilising her head. The ambulance crew arrived, carrying a back board.

"Her pupils are unresponsive." Michelle informed them. "She's regained consciousness, but she seems disorientated. I can't find a head wound, but we should be careful in case of a concussion. The bike landed on her as she came down, it looks like her right leg is broken."

"Gabby?" One of the paramedics asked her as they gently rolled her onto the back board, strapping her in. "Don't try and talk, just blink if you understand me. Can you feel your legs?"

She blinked her eyes, grunting a little as they started to strap her in, aggravating her injured leg. It was a good sign that she still had feeling in her extremities, but right now it didn't really feel that way. She was lifted on the backboard to a waiting stretcher. Michelle and the race stewards gestured to the announcer to let them know that she was stabilised to be transferred to the hospital. The announcer got onto the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's have a big hand for Gabby Wallace." He announced as they took her towards the ambulance. The crowd applauded, showing their support. While crashes were part of the excitement of these events, no one liked to see a rider take a hard spill and get injured. Dustin came to her side as they carried her away, but Dom intercepted him.

"I'll go with her." He informed him. Dustin hadn't doubted that Dom would want to be the one going with her, but he wanted to go to the hospital to make sure she was alright.

"Dom..."

"I'll keep you posted." Dom told him. Dustin looked between Dom and the ambulance, flailing frantically, but unable to form any kind of coherent sentence. Dom could see that he was upset Gabby had been hurt. He obviously felt guilty about pushing her to take part in the contest. "You still have a competition to take part in."

"Dom, I couldn't care less about the contest!" Dustin yelled at him.

"You won't be able to do anything for her anyway, not until the doctors have seen her." Dom reminded him.

"Dom's right, it's probably best we just stay out of the way." Tori told him reassuringly, holding onto her daughter. Sally liked Gabby, and seemed to be just as shaken and upset as the others were about the accident. "It's best we stay here and look after her bike."

Dustin looked conflicted as he heard this. He had no desire to be part of the contest any longer, but he knew that they were right. He'd do Gabby no more good at the hospital than he would here. Reluctantly he just nodded his head and went with the stewards to collect her bike.

"We're all thinking about her." Tori said supportively, placing a hand on Dom's shoulder. He just smiled at her.

"Thanks, that means a lot." He told her, getting into the ambulance. Gabby's parents and her uncle followed on in a car a little way behind the ambulance as it left.

Warren was just getting ready for his own run on the course. Things had been held up while they cleared the track. As he mentally prepared himself for his run, he noticed Keith coming to the back of the truck, looking deeply troubled. He slammed a fist into the side of it, causing everyone to look round at him.

"Everyone get out of here!" He roared, flailing wildly. "Go!"

The crew and the groupies left the area, leaving him alone with Warren. The younger rider came over, just as Keith started breathing heavily, struggling to keep his cool.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Warren asked him. "Hey, calm down man, what's going on?"

Johnny was floating around the area, taking time to appreciate some of the bikes that were on display when he noticed the scene unfolding. He didn't like the look of this at all. Sure, people were upset after the wipe out, and some of the riders were a little jumpy, but it looked like something serious was going down.

"Keith, what the hell is going on?" Warren asked him. "I still have to ride, and I can't concentrate when you're..."

"The bottle got to the wrong person." Keith interrupted him. Warren stared at him.

"The bottle?" Warren asked him. "What do you mean it got to the wrong person?"

"I had Jessie give it to Bradley, but he got interrupted before he got a chance to drink it." Keith informed him. "You saw the girl's crash, she just let go of the bike."

"You think...?" Warren suddenly looked incredibly ill, and grabbed his team-mate, glaring at him. "You said no one would get hurt!"

"I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt!" Keith stated in response, pulling away. "The 250 race is the last event. If he had drunk the bottle now he'd never have gotten on the bike, he'd have been forced to pull out."

"He didn't drink it though, did he?" Warren asked him. "Christ, riding while she was on that shit, it's no wonder she wiped out. She probably passed out on the saddle."

"Warren, this wasn't meant to happen..."

"She could have been killed!" Warren interrupted him. "Screw this, I can't ride after this. If the marshals find out about this, we'll be disqualified for sure. Shit, we'll be lucky if we aren't prosecuted."

"They can't find out about this!" Keith responded. "This deal's worth too much money."

"Is that all you care about?" Warren snapped at him. Johnny pulled a little closer, staying just out of sight. He fought the urge to simply attack them, knowing that it wasn't likely to do him or Gabby any good. "She could have been killed!"

"Listen Warren, you jumped up piece of shit!" Keith snarled, grabbing him and ramming him hard against the truck. "You were just a stupid kid spinning donuts on some back water dirt track in the ass end of nowhere before I brought you into this team! Without Iazamu's money, you're nothing."

"If the marshals find out..."

"Then we have to make sure they don't, and they're sure to if you have a sudden attack of conscience and bail." Keith responded, thrusting Warren's helmet into chest. "Just suit up, get your head on straight and go out there and ride."

"What if they find the drugs?" Warren asked him.

"I'll flush them." Keith told him. "There's nothing linking us to the drugs, or to her..."

"His words tailed off as he got a horrible thought. There was a link, one he had yet to sever. Warren looked at him a little nervously as he saw the look on Keith's face.

"The bottle." Keith gasped. "I have to get that bottle!"

"You put it in a bottle of Gatorade!" Warren replied, gesturing around. "They're handing it out all over the place!"

Keith looked around, seeing that he was right. Stands and event staff were handing out Gatorade all over the park.

"Leave that to me." Keith told him. "I'll find it."

He left with little to go on, save for the fact that the bottle he had spiked had been a bottle of blue Gatorade, and Gabby had drunk it, meaning it was likely to be somewhere around her friends' pit area. Warren got ready and headed to his bike, preparing for his performance. Johnny just waited a short time, before following Keith. He had no way of knowing which bottle had been spiked. All he knew was that Keith had some idea where it was.

Over at the hospital, Dom waited outside the recovery room as Michelle ran a few more tests. He paced impatiently while Gabby's parents and Master Phant sat, waiting on word from the room. Michelle came out of the room, at which she was surrounded by Gabby's family.

"How is she?" Dom asked her, his voice cracking a little under the strain. "Is she alright? What's happening?"

"She's stable." Michelle informed them, holding her hands up to get a little space, speaking as calmly as she could. "The bike landed on her right leg, it's been broken in four places. She's going to wear a full-length cast for a couple of months until it heals. It looks like she's OK apart from that, it's mostly just bumps and bruises. She's been pretty lucky all things considered."

"How's she feeling?" Master Phant asked her. Michelle looked at him a little sympathetically.

"She'll be pretty sore for a while." She informed him. "We've given her something for the pain, she should..."

Just then an alarm went off, at which Michelle rushed back into the room, finding Gabby starting to slip into unconsciousness. Her body started to shiver uncontrollably as her vitals started to fluctuate frighteningly.

"What's happening?" Dom asked her. Michelle shoved him back a little to get some room as she checked Gabby's pupils. She felt her pulse, finding it a little weak.

"She's having a bad reaction to the painkiller." Michelle informed them. "She was unresponsive before, but I couldn't find any sign of a head injury. I think she might be OD'ing."

"That can't be possible." Dom told her. "You gave her the painkillers..."

"I think it's reacting with something else in her system." Michelle told him. "I think she's taken something else."

"No way, Gabby isn't like that." Dom rushed out abruptly. "She's got a full-on caffeine addiction, but she doesn't touch drugs. She doesn't even smoke."

Michelle pulled a needle out of her acupuncture bracelet, finding an energy centre in her wrist, before sinking it in. She checked on her pulse, before putting in another. She was loathe to risk giving her any more medication, especially since she had no idea what she might have in her system. Gabby's pulse evened out, and she fell still, stopping shivering. Michelle breathed a sigh of relief and wordlessly thanked Flit for his training.

"I'll need to run some more tests to find out what's happening." Michelle told them as she took a blood sample. "I need to know what's in her system."

"I keep telling you, she doesn't take any drugs!" Dom snapped at her. Master Phant put a hand on his shoulder.

"Michelle isn't accusing her of anything." Master Phant assured him in a soft voice. "It's possible she was prescribed medication in Blue Bay and just hasn't told us."

"I'll know more once I get this back from the lab." Michelle told them, taking the needle and making her way to the door. "I'll let you know as soon as I know anything."

Back at the track, Dustin finished lashing Gabby's bike to the trailer as Warren approached him. Dustin turned around, finding him standing before him, carrying the first place trophy from the Junior Freestyle competition.

"Are you here to gloat?" Dustin sneered at him.

"No, that's not it at all." Warren told him, putting down the cup. He had to admit that it wasn't the most diplomatic thing to do, coming over to her friend's pit area carrying the trophy he had won only about an hour after they'd watched one of their friends being taken away in an ambulance, but in truth he'd simply not thought to put it away. He had come over straight after the judging because of the guilt weighing heavily on his mind. While he hadn't spiked the drink, he knew that Keith had planned to do it. The plan had gone wrong, badly wrong, with almost tragic consequences. "I wanted to know if you'd heard anything about Gabby."

"Nothing yet." Dustin replied curtly. Warren came over a little sheepishly. He hated what had happened to Gabby. He was a little troubled by the plan, even when it was only to get Blake to pull out of the race. He certainly didn't want anyone to get hurt as a result of the plan.

"Look, I know Keith's a jerk, but I'm serious, I just want to know if she's OK." Warren assured him sincerely. "She was pulling a really impressive routine out there."

"She was." Dustin replied. Warren saw Keith in the background going through some trash cans looking for discarded bottles. He left quickly, apparently not finding what he was looking for and moved onto the next. Warren shook his head sadly.

"Look, I just wanted to wish her well and to say good luck for your contest." Warren replied. Dustin shook his head.

"I pulled out." He informed him. "Gabby only competed because of me. I can't face riding today."

"I guess I can understand that." Warren sighed, thinking about it. "I remember when one of my friends got hurt back home."

"She's more than just a friend. I taught her everything she knows about motocross." Dustin replied sadly as he went back to the table, packing away some tools. "I pushed her into competing. She was so nervous, she kept saying she wasn't ready but I kept on at her..."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about." Warren interrupted him in a rushed voice, grabbing his arm. Dustin just looked down at his hand. Warren paused and recoiled his hand slowly. It was bad enough that Gabby was in hospital because of them, it wasn't fair that Dustin blamed himself for the accident. He realised he couldn't say anything more without revealing their part in the proceedings. He needed to keep on Keith's good side if he was to stay on the team. If he lost the Iazamu contract, his career would be over. He'd never be able to afford to stay on tour, and be forced back into small, local competitions. He wanted to tell Dustin that there was nothing he could have done to prevent the accident, but he knew he couldn't. "It was her decision to ride. If she didn't want to, she wouldn't have. There's nothing you could have done to stop her."

"I guess that's true." Dustin muttered. "I just feel really bad though. I let my own excitement about seeing her compete get the better of me."

"She'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Warren told him confidently. "Listen, I need to get back to my team. Let me know if there's any word on her condition."

Warren left Dustin, noticing Keith by another trash can, fishing Gatorade bottles out of them. As he left one, Warren went over to it, finding that it was still almost full of Gatorade bottles. He was sure Keith was trying to get rid of them to prevent the evidence being found. Why would he leave them behind? He noticed a bottle on the ground that he had dropped, and picked it up.

"Blue." He whispered, before looking back into the bin. He rummaged around, confirming his suspicion. "He's looking for blue Gatorade bottles."

Just then, he was grabbed roughly and dragged into a men's room. He found himself being thrown onto the floor and kicked hard in the ribs. He looked up, finding Johnny standing over him.

"Who are you?" Warren asked him. Johnny paced back and forward before him.

"I overheard what you and your friend were talking about by the truck." Johnny told him.

"I'm sorry, we never meant for anyone to get hurt!" Warren told him. "Keith said that no one would get hurt. He only wanted Blake out of the way to narrow the field in the 250."

"So this was all about a race?" Johnny asked him aggressively, kneeling over him, drawing back a fist. "You spiked someone's drink to win a race?"

"It's about more than a race. It's about the Iazamu contract." He informed him. "If we take the gold in all the regional heats, Iazamu's going to get more publicity than they know what to do with. Keith's new contract would be worth millions."

Johnny grabbed him roughly, lifting him back to his feet and forced him against the wall.

"She could have died." Johnny reminded him. "You had no idea what would happen. Anyone could have taken that bottle!"

Warren's face immediately went pale and he brushed Johnny's hands off him.

"He's looking for a blue Gatorade bottle." Warren told him. "It has to be nearby. Jessie brought it to Blake in your pit area."

With that, he rushed out of the men's room, closely followed by Johnny. They ran to Tori's van where the team were all gathered around, awaiting word of Gabby's condition.

"He can't be far away." Warren told Johnny. "He'll be looking for it."

Sally walked up to Tori, tugging on the leg of her trousers gently.

"Mommy, I'm thirsty." She told her. Tori looked around on the table, finding a half-empty bottle of blue Gatorade.

"Here honey, you can have this." Tori told her. "I'll get you something in a little while."

Seeing this, Warren rushed over, smacking the bottle out of Sally's hand just as she was about to drink it.

"Hey!" Sally whined, glaring at him. "That was mine!"

"What the hell is your problem?" Tori asked him. Warren picked up the bottle, which still had some liquid in it.

"I'm sorry; I couldn't let her drink it." Warren told her as the others rounded on him. "Gabby's drink was spiked. I don't know what with, all I know is that's why she crashed."


	109. A Step Too Far

Dom, Master Phant and Gabby's parents were waiting anxiously on word of Gabby's condition following the latest complication. Michelle had given her a painkiller to help her rest, but she didn't know at the time that she had anything else in her system. Although they had managed to stabilize her, Michelle was now hard at work trying to find out exactly what the painkiller had reacted with to avoid a repeat of the incident.

Dustin ran into the corridor, carrying what was left of a bottle of blue Gatorade, sliding to a halt by the Rhino Ranger. He paused to catch his breath.

"Dustin, what are you doing here?" He asked him. Dustin straightened himself up.

"Gabby's drink was spiked." He finally managed to force out through a couple of strained gasps. "This is the bottle she was drinking from."

"We should get this to Michelle." Master Phant stated, taking the bottle from him and heading down the hall. She had gone to run some tests of her blood sample to find out what was in her bloodstream, but with the bottle, they wouldn't have to waste time filtering everything in her blood to extract it. In the bottle, it was almost in its purest form.

"How is she?" Dustin asked as Master Phant left. Dom shook his head.

"She took a bad reaction to the painkillers." He answered sadly. "Michelle said it reacted with whatever was in that bottle. She's unconscious."

"Dom, I'm so sorry about this." Dustin assured him. "If I'd known this was going to happen..."

"It's not your fault Dustin." Dom interrupted him. "The only person to blame is whoever gave her that bottle."

"That's just the thing, I gave it to her." He recalled. "She was really nervous before her run, so I gave her that to drink. It was just lying on the table. Warren said it was meant for Blake."

"Warren?" Dom asked him, his expression noticeably hardening as he heard this. "He did this to her?"

"He claims he didn't but he knows who did." Dustin continued. "Keith, Iazamu's lead rider tried to spike Blake. He was trying to get him so spaced he'd have to pull out of the race, but he got interrupted. He didn't drink it; it was just sitting on the table."

Dom gathered his jacket, obviously intending to go back to the track. Deborah got off the bench and stood in his way.

"Dom, don't go." She told him. "Gabby wouldn't want this."

"He could have killed her." Dom stated coldly. "She was in no fit state to ride, anything could have happened."

"The bottle was just sitting on the table, anyone could have drunk it." Dustin added, also trying to stop Dom. He was just as angry as him about what had happened, but he could see that reason had left the building. "Sally almost drank it. You don't need to worry about Keith; the others will make sure he gets what's coming to him."

Deborah turned his face to hers, looking him in the eyes.

"She could regain consciousness at any minute." She told him with a smile. "Whose face do you think she's going to want to see first?"

Dom settled down a little at this. It was something of a dirty trick on Deborah's part; she looked so much like Gabby she knew he wouldn't be able to resist her request. Gabby had her eyes, and her smile. It was almost as if he was looking at her.

"I'll stay." He told them. "Thanks for bringing the bottle Dustin."

"Just keep me posted alright?" He replied. "I'm heading back to the track. I'll make sure Keith pays for what he's done."

Back at the track, Warren made his way back to the Iazamu trailer while the others went in search of Keith. He found him in the back, beginning to strap on his armour in preparation for his race. It was still some way off, but he knew that he couldn't risk being cornered somewhere without witnesses by Gabby's friends. He needed to hide out in the trailer until it was time for the race.

Warren came in; looking to the corner where the bag of bottles Keith had been collecting was sitting.

"So you got the bottles then." Warren asked him, trying to appear casual.

"I hope so." Keith replied. "The marshals haven't come by yet, so they obviously haven't traced this back to me. If our luck holds, we can dump the bottles once the race is over."

"Is that all you care about?" Warren asked him. "I found the bottle. I gave it to Brooks."

"You did what?" Keith asked him in disbelief. "You idiot!"

"You're the idiot, what you did was dangerous and stupid!" Warren snapped at him. "When I found that bottle Bradley's kid had it. She can't be more than 7 or 8 years old. Anyone could have gotten it. If I hadn't stopped her..."

"You gave them the bottle! They'll alert the marshals for sure!" Keith yelled as he grabbed the younger man, slamming him against the side of the truck. "We'll be lucky if we're just disqualified!"

"You don't get it do you?" Warren asked in response. "She's a kid! If she'd drunk that bottle she'd have OD'd."

"Well she didn't." Keith told him, releasing him. "Now, I need to get ready. There's too much riding on this race to give up now. If you don't want to be back where you came from, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and don't say anything more."

As he turned his back to leave, Warren had heard enough. He still didn't care that his selfish desire to win a race, a contract at all costs had led to all of this. He had convinced himself that his actions weren't serious, when potentially they could have cost lives. It was a price that was far too high for Warren to bear. No contract was worth this, even if it did mean he would lose his dream. Roaring loudly, he rushed his team captain, taking him to the floor.

Out at the track, Blake, Hunter and the others were busy looking for Keith. They knew that little good would come from asking the Iazamu team where he was. It wasn't like they were likely to turn in their own star rider.

Fran stopped searching for a minute to catch her breath, finding Liv watching the events on the track. She made her way over, tapping her on the shoulder to catch her attention.

"Have you heard any word on Gabby?" Liv asked her. Although she hadn't really had a chance to meet Gabby and talk to her properly, the others had filled her in on who she was, and they all seemed really excited that she was back. She knew that after the crash, they'd be worried about her, and so she had opted to leave them be. Fran shook her head.

"There's been no word yet." Fran told her. She didn't want to get Liv caught up in the search for Keith, or the potential trouble it could cause. It was already too late to stop Johnny being involved, and it was only down to Warren feeling guilty enough about not speaking up sooner that he wasn't going to find himself on an assault charge. "All we can do is hope that no news is good news."

"I guess so." Liv replied. Fran smiled a little as she heard a much lighter tone in Liv's voice than she had lately. Since her father's arrest, and eventual suicide, it was understandable that she had been a little distant and sombre.

"You seem a little brighter than you have been." Fran told her, addressing the change in her. "Are things going well with Lily and RJ?"

"Things are going pretty well there. They took me in; they never seem to mind me being there. David's a little noisy at times, but I really like the little guy. He's really cute." She responded, thinking about her new lifestyle. "RJ's started teaching me Kung Fu, just like he's doing with Johnny."

"How is that going?" Fran asked, a little curious to see how she was doing.

"I really like it. I've only had one or two lessons, but I enjoy it." She replied thinking about it. "I'm still not sure what to do about the house, but I'm not worrying about it the same. RJ reminded me that it was built 20 years ago, so it'll still be there for a while, and there's no rush to make a decision."

"Well I'm glad to hear things are looking up for you a little." Fran commented.

"I talked to one of the kids from school a while ago." She informed Fran. "He talked to me a little about dad."

"Liv, you shouldn't..."

"No, it's not like that, he wanted to talk to me. He said he's gone through it too." Liv interrupted Fran, trying to explain that she had misunderstood. "He wasn't teasing me or anything, he just wanted to talk and tell me that he knows what it's like."

"Well I'm glad someone's there for you." Fran said, a little warily, worrying about who exactly Liv had been talking to. "Who was it?"

"It was Mike." She replied. Fran just looked at her completely dumbfounded.

"Mike? You mean the guy who beat Johnny into a bloody pulp?" Fran stated. "Liv..."

"I know he did that, he was wrong he knows that. He admitted it himself." Liv rushed out to reassure her. "He's not like the other kids say he is. I think he just puts up a front. When he talked to me he really seemed to know what I was going through."

"It sounds like he's putting up a front alright." Fran muttered. Liv just rolled her eyes and stormed away from her. She didn't want to hear it. She appreciated the fact that they were all there for her, and had done all they could to comfort her, but she just didn't want to hear her badmouth the only person she'd met who seemed to know exactly what she was going through. Fran thought about calling out to her, but stopped herself as Theo arrived. Liv probably just wanted to be alone for a little while, and they did have other things to worry about.

"Dustin just got back." Theo informed her. "We've still not found Keith. It looks like he's hiding out somewhere."

"Have you tried their trailer?" Fran asked him. Theo shook his head.

"We can't get near it. Security won't let us get close."

"I have an idea." Fran said with a little smirk. "Get the others, and a couple of cameras."

Back at the hospital, Michelle arrived, and was immediately rushed by Gabby's family, all waiting eagerly for answers, and rattling off questions at a million miles an hour. Michelle held her hands up and backed up a little for space.

"It's alright; we isolated what it was she took. It was GHB." Michelle told them. "The good news is that she didn't take much. Given her age and her good health, there shouldn't be any long term complications.

There was a small buzzing from the room, and the light above the door lit up. Michelle smiled as she held Dom's arm to stop him from panicking.

"It's the call button. She's calling a nurse." She stated, causing a collective sigh of relief. "She's regained consciousness."

She opened the door, leading them all into the room. Gabby smiled as she saw Dom, and adjusted her bed with the control to sit up a little.

"How are you feeling?" Michelle asked her, beginning to run a few checks.

"A lot better now." She said, looking at Dom. As Michelle just gave her a slight look, Gabby realised that wasn't what she meant. "I feel like throwing up, and my head's still spinning."

"That's all natural. It should pass." Michelle told them. "She's been lucky."

"This is lucky?" Gabby asked sarcastically, gesturing to the cast running from her hip the entire length of her leg.

"It could be worse; the bike could have landed on your body, or your head." Michelle reminded her. "You came off a lot better than some of the crash victims I've seen."

"So how long do I have to wear this?" Gabby asked in response. Michelle knew she wouldn't like the answer.

"Two months." She replied. "The leg's been broken in three places."

"Two months?" Gabby asked, becoming a little irritable. "How am I meant to get back to Blue Bay Harbour?"

"I wouldn't recommend that." Michelle replied honestly. "You'll have to get regular checkups to make sure it's healing properly. You could get a ride out there, and you could get about on crutches, but I'd recommend that it's probably easier to stick around."

"To think, I wished I could stick around for the holidays." Gabby laughed a little weakly, beginning to come around to the idea. "Well I guess I got my wish."

"Next time, just buy a Greyhound ticket like everyone else." Her father chastised her playfully as he ruffled her hair. "You gave us a real scare."

"Next time I'll try not to fall off." Gabby assured them. Dom, Deborah and George all stared at each other a little nervously.

"Next time?" Deborah asked her daughter. "You're going to keep doing this?"

"What can I say, I'm addicted!" Gabby told them. "I always have a blast. Before I started to zone out, I was having the time of my life. I'm just bummed it'll be a couple of months before I can get back to it."

"I'll never understand the X-games crowd." Michelle muttered as she rolled her eyes and walked away. Dom was a little surprised that she was so enthusiastic about the sport still, but he was pleased that the crash hadn't seemed to affect her confidence too badly. It had taken a lot for Gabby to come out of her shell while they were dating, and he was pleased she hadn't been set back.

"Well when you are back up and riding, maybe I'll join you some time." Dom suggested. "You can give me a few pointers."

"I might just hold you to that." She replied, giggling slightly as she grabbed his shirt, pulling him down gently. Her parents just came together, smiling at the scene as Master Phant arrived in the room. He cleared his throat to attract their attention.

"I think Dom and Gabby might appreciate a little time alone." He told them. "Perhaps it's time we call the others and give them the good news."

Back in the trailer, Warren and Keith wrestled aggressively with each other, sending tools and spare parts flying. Warren hammered into him with his fists, anywhere he could land them. Keith fended him off as best he could, but his team mate had completely lost his patience with him.

His hand scrambled around on the floor, looking for a weapon of some kind. Feeling the handle of a screwdriver in his hand, he snatched it up, and drove it into Warren's hip. He screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, clutching the handle of it as he instinctively curled into a ball. He kicked Warren hard as he rolled on the floor.

"You just made your last mistake kid. As soon as I've finished with this race, I'm going to call the CEO of the company and tell him I can't be on the same team with you. Who do you really think he's going to keep around?"

He kicked him half a dozen more times, before he was distracted by the announcer's voice, calling for the 250 competitors to head to the starting position.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." He stated as he gathered up his helmet. He knew his crew would have already taken his bike to the starting grid. He closed the side door of the trailer behind him, leaving Warren in the truck alone. He could deal with bribing him to stay quiet once the race was over. Right now, he needed to get to the grid quickly.

Fran and Theo never noticed him slipping away. They approached the back of the truck, accompanied by Casey, who looked a little confused as to why he was carrying a camera. Theo had no idea what was going on in his wife's mind either, but he'd known her long enough to know it was usually best to go along with it. A security guard held up a hand to stop them.

"Sorry, no one's allowed here..."

"Well I was here...About eight months ago!" Fran snarled, gesturing to her stomach. Casey lifted the camera, pointing it in the guard's direction. Theo held up the pad and pen Fran had given him, as much to stop the guard seeing that he was trying hard not to laugh as the penny dropped what her plan was. "It seems that Mr. Wonderful in there's all caring and considerate when he's getting what he wants, but does he return any of my calls?"

"Madam..."

"I told him about the baby months ago!" She continued to rant. By now a crowd was starting to form, more interested by the soap opera outside the Iazamu trailer than the race that was going to be starting in a few minutes. The guard started to back away, and look nervous. The last thing his boss would want is a scandal erupting, and it seemed like this woman, probably some one night stand one of the racers probably wouldn't even remember, had brought them with her. "He hasn't returned one phone call or e-mail. I didn't want to do this, but if shaming him into seeing me is the only way we can get him to talk about this...!"

"Madam, please calm down." A man in an Iazamu jacket told her. "I'm Mr. Kushikara, the manager of this team. Please, calm down and we can..."

"I would have been calm if he talked to me when I told him about the baby!" Fran snapped back. He saw the potential for bad press and did exactly what Fran knew what he would do if she made enough of a scene. He tried to draw her somewhere she wouldn't cause as much attention.

"Please, we don't want to upset you. This isn't good for your child." He told her. "Please, come to the trailer. It'll be more comfortable if we talk in there."

Fran, Theo and Casey all followed him as he led them to the back of the truck. He opened the door, and rushed inside, looking around in alarm at the scene before him. Tools and spare parts lay all over the place, and Warren was laying, curled up on the floor. They could see from the door that his coveralls were stained with blood. Mr. Kushikara and Casey rushed to his side, finding the screwdriver still lodged in his hip.

"Somebody call a medic!" Fran yelled as they worked to stop the bleeding. "Medic!"


	110. Keith's Punishment

Blake, Hunter and Tori all arrived by the Iazamu truck after Fran called them, finding paramedics loading Warren into an ambulance. Tori held her daughter's hand tightly, keeping her close.

"The medics say the screwdriver didn't hit anything vital." Fran informed them. "There's no sign of Keith."

"If he's got any brains, he'd be long gone by now." Theo commented. Blake shook his head.

"No way, his team's here. He wouldn't leave without his bike." He responded. Hunter looked up a little curiously.

"You don't really think he'd go through with the race do you?" He asked his brother. Blake just shrugged.

"If he's on the starting grid, he probably doesn't know that Warren's been found yet." He replied.

Almost on cue, the announcer started calling out the names of the riders on the starting grid. Keith's name was read out, confirming their suspicions.

"Great, now we know where he's going to be." Blake stated. "All we have to do is wait by the finish line."

"I'll take Sally." Fran told them, taking her hand. "I don't think she needs to see this."

"I wanna see daddy kick his butt!" Sally yelled. Tori shook her head.

"You know I don't like fighting." Tori reminded her daughter. "Go with Fran."

"I won't get hurt, you know you've taught me to defend myself." Sally protested. "Please mommy."

"No arguing young lady, go with Fran!" Tori ordered her. Fran just lead her away as she pouted, upset that she wasn't going to see Keith getting caught. Tori sighed and shook her head sadly. "She gets more like her father every day."

"The race has started." Hunter reminded them. "Let's go."

Over by the refreshments tent, Liv was getting herself a milkshake when she felt a little tap on her shoulder. She just groaned.

"I don't want to hear it Mrs. Martin." She muttered. "Mike..."

"That's my name." He interrupted her. Liv turned around to see him standing behind her. She started to stammer a little; nervous about blurting out the fact Fran had tried to warn her about Mike. "Do I make you that nervous?"

"No, it's just..." She started, her words tailing off a little. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to tell you that we've changed the night of the party." He told her. "It's on Thanksgiving."

"Thanksgiving?" She asked him. "Aren't you all going to be with your parents?"

"Please, in my zip code, everyone goes to the big blow out at the Johnson place." He told her. "The folks will be too busy comparing notes on the latest cars or paintings or whatever they've been buying. They never notice if we're there or not, so we usually slip out and have a party ourselves."

"You want to invite me?" She asked him, smiling a little. "Why would you want to bring me?"

"Not many people know what we've been through." He told her. He reached forward, stroking her hair a little. "I just figured that we have a lot in common."

Liv smiled a little at his touch. She had been the Invisible Woman for so long, that she couldn't believe that anyone would pay attention to her, much less a senior. She shuffled a little nervously and looked up to him.

"What time?" She asked him. Mike just smiled.

"Eight O'clock." He told her. With that, he leaned down, kissing her cheek gently. Liv felt her face becoming flushed and felt a little warm. She couldn't believe he had done that. "On the beach, I look forward to it."

"Me too." Liv replied quietly. She turned back to the table as he left. As he made his way out of the tent, Johnny cleared his throat.

"A freshman?" He asked him. "What would you want with a freshman?"

"She's a pretty cool girl." He replied with a shrug. "Not to mention she's pretty hot for a freshman."

"You're taking her to the Cherry Harvest?" He asked the older student. "She's just a kid!"

"It's her life isn't it?" Mike asked him. Johnny felt his temper rising.

"She's been through a lot." He told him. "If you hurt her..."

"You'll do what? Fight me again?" Mike sneered at him. "You know where that got you last time."

"She doesn't deserve this." Johnny told him. "Don't mess with her."

"What are you going to do about it?" Mike asked him. With that, he just walked away laughing. Johnny kicked a discarded can in frustration. He knew Mike had no real interest in Liv. He was only messing with her to get a rise out of him. Since Fran had started helping him, he had managed to keep his temper in check and avoid his old ways. Mike had tried to lure him into fighting him again as revenge for getting him in trouble with the principal. Now though, it looked like he was planning to use Liv to get to him.

Johnny had started to become friends with her. They worked together in JKP regularly, and lately she had accepted RJ's invitation to join their training sessions. He liked her a lot, and he didn't want her to get hurt, especially not because of him.

He watched as Mike got into his Cadillac, and went into the tent, finding Liv still sipping her milkshake a little dreamily.

"I heard you talking to Mike." Johnny began. Liv nodded.

"Yeah, he wanted to talk." She told him. "His dad killed himself too. He wanted..."

"Liv, you can't trust him." Johnny told her. "Mike's a scumbag. He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"You sound just like Mrs. Martin." Liv snapped, rolling her eyes at him. "You can't get over that fight you had with him, can you?"

"Mrs. Martin's right. Look at how much she's done for you." He implored her. "Why are you taking his word over hers now?"

"You wouldn't understand!" She yelled at him, beginning to walk away. Johnny grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving.

"Liv, he doesn't care about you, he told me so himself." He told her. "He's just trying to get to me. Please, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Then why are you bad-mouthing the only person who knows what I'm going through?" She asked him. "I know Mike's done bad stuff before, but he just wants to be there for me."

"He wants to take you to the Cherry Harvest!" Johnny roared at her, looking into her eyes. "He's just using you!"

"Of course, it's impossible that he's actually interested in me isn't it?" She hissed at him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

Johnny bit his lower lip, his frustration beginning to build.

"Liv, you're not thinking straight." He said as calmly as he could. "Mike's..."

"Just butt out and leave me alone!" She interrupted him angrily. As she stormed off, Johnny ran his hands through his hair, leaning against a refreshments table. He couldn't believe that Mike would sink that low just to get him back. He couldn't bear to see Liv getting hurt in the crossfire. This issue was between him and Mike. It had nothing to do with her. She had been hurt enough for one lifetime.

Back at the track, Keith blasted his way into the final straight. In a roundabout way, he had gained exactly what he wanted. Blake had pulled out of the race to go looking for him after Gabby's accident.

He gunned the throttle, smirking as he pulled into a comfortable lead. As he roared over the line, taking the chequered flag, he skidded to a halt, before pumping his fists in the air in victory.

He heard an impassioned yell, at which he turned in time to see an enraged Dustin rushing him, tackling him to the ground. He ripped Keith's helmet off, beginning to smash his fist repeatedly into his face.

"Dustin, stop!" Blake yelled as he grabbed his team mate, pulling him off Keith before he could hurt him too badly. Hunter held Keith as they were separated. "He isn't worth it!"

"This lunatic attacked me, you all saw it!" Keith protested as the security team started to get involved. "I want him arrested!"

"What the hell is going on here?" The announcer asked as he arrived on the scene.

"This lowlife tried to spike my drink to get me to pull out of the race." Blake explained. "Gabby got it instead. That's why she crashed!"

"This is insane, where's your proof?" Keith asked him. "They're all lying!"

"You'll find a bag full of blue Gatorade bottles in the Iazamu truck." Tori chipped in. "After the crash, he tried to gather them all to get rid of the evidence, but he didn't manage it. He missed the one bottle that was spiked. It's in the hospital."

"You don't believe any of this do you?" Keith asked the crowd as he flailed wildly.

"Warren confronted him about it, that's why he got stabbed." Hunter added.

"My daughter almost drank that crap!" Tori snarled at him. "Gabby's laid up in the hospital. Warren's on his way there now? All this for a stupid race?"

The judges all huddled, discussing what they had heard. Keith just looked around in horror. Panicking, he pulled away from the stewards, he started to run.

"He's getting away!" Tori yelled. As he made his way towards the truck, he suddenly tripped and fell, landing in the grass face first. He felt a little weigh landing roughly on his back.

"You hurt my friend Gabby!" Sally yelled at him, grabbing his hair and pulling on it painfully. Fran arrived a short time later.

"Tori, I'm so sorry, she gave me the slip." Fran rushed out.

"It's alright, she did well." Tori replied, going over to Keith and grabbing her daughter. "It's alright, you can let go of him sweetie."

"Keith was dragged back to his feet, at which he found himself confronted by a couple of cops. They grabbed him, snapping him into handcuffs. The race marshals could only look on as they dragged him away. It was going to take some time before they could get down to the truth of the matter, and make a decision what to do about awarding the prizes. Blake came to his wife's side, kissing his daughter on the top of the head softly.

"I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough of this for one day." Blake grumbled, clearly still upset that not only had one of his friends been hurt, but in the resulting chaos, none of them had been able to compete in the contests. "I could do with something to eat."

"RJ and Lily should be waiting for us." Tori replied. "Come on guys, we've done everything we can here."

With that, the large group of friends made their way back towards Tori's van, gathering together. It had been a long and trying day for all of them. Now they could only make their way back to JKP to decompress and be thankful that nothing more serious happened.

Back at the hospital, Gabby and Dom were deep in conversation when her parents and her Uncle came back. Master Phant knocked on the door, rousing their attention.

"Dom, visiting time's over." He told him. "It's time to go home."

"Can't I stay a little longer?" Dom asked him. Master Phant shook his head.

"Michelle already extended the visiting time for you." He replied. "We have to go."

"Maybe I can sign myself out." Gabby suggested.

"You will do no such thing young lady!" Her father warned her. "You heard Michelle; you have to stay at least overnight."

"Dad, I can lie in my bed at home..."

"There's no arguing with us on this!" He interrupted her abruptly. "You're staying!"

"Dom..."

"Sorry, but I'm with your dad on this one." He told her. "I'll come round tomorrow, I promise."

"You better mister." She muttered, realising that she was never going to win this argument.

"We'll be round to take you home first thing in the morning sweetheart." Deborah told her, kissing her daughter on the cheek gently. "Get some rest. You need to get your strength up."

"I promise." Gabby replied. With that, they all started to file slowly out of the room. Dom didn't really want to leave her, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't get any rest if he stayed.

"Dom, it's a long way to the temple." George told stated. "If you want, you can stay with us tonight."

"Thanks, I think I might do that." He replied. "Thanks for the invitation Mr. Wallace."

"Right now, all we can do is stick together." George assured him. "It's what families do."

Over at JKP, Lily and RJ were beginning to receive the first of the post competition crowds by the time the others arrived. Lily ran over, to Liv, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Liv, we're probably going to get swamped tonight. Would you mind pulling a shift?" She asked her. Liv just nodded.

"I'll go and get changed." She replied.

"Johnny, we could do with your help too." She rushed out. Johnny looked over to the door where Liv had just gone upstairs to get changed. He knew that it was unlikely to be a fun shift since the altercation they'd had earlier, but he couldn't leave Lily and RJ in the lurch.

"I'll just go and get changed." He answered her. Lily smiled.

"You're both lifesavers." Lily told him. "Dom was meant to work tonight, but something tells me he won't be in the mood."

Johnny nodded in agreement. Obviously one of the others had called them to inform them what had happened to Gabby. He went up into the back room, looking out a uniform, just as Liv came out of her room, straightening out her t-shirt. She saw him and rolled her eyes before storming out of the room. Johnny just muttered under his breath. It seemed like he had been right that it wasn't going to be a fun shift. It seemed like Liv still wasn't talking to him, and that she had no intention of forgiving him easily.


	111. Gabby Comes Home

The next day, Dom and George were waiting outside Gabby's room while the doctor gave her another check-up before releasing her. Through the window, Dom could see the somewhat bored and frustrated look on Gabby's face as the doctor ran through the procedure. He knew she had wanted to come home the night before, but the doctor and her parents hadn't allowed it. She was so active, and rarely sat still for any length of time, and so he knew that the prospect of two months in a cast was likely to be driving her nuts.

The doctor came out of the room, shaking his head in disbelief as he found her loved ones in the hall.

"She's as stubborn as anyone I've ever met." He grumbled. "She's ready to go home. I'd recommend she doesn't move around too much, but I'm certain that's far too much to hope for. I'd like to see her in a week to see how she's healing. If she feels any pain, it's alright for her to take a mild painkiller, but if pain persists, bring her in immediately."

"We'll keep a close eye on her." George assured him. They heard a clicking sound, and the doctor rolled his eyes as he saw Gabby in the doorway, already on her crutches and eager to leave. One of the nurses had helped her dress.

"Ms. Wallace, you could at least let us see you to the door." He complained.

"Sorry, but I've spent enough time in here." She told him, putting an arm around Dom's waist and kissing him quickly. The doctor just shook his head and walked away muttering under his breath about the eight years he'd spent studying medicine.

"Gabby I know you're anxious to leave, but he is the doctor." Dom reminded her, holding her tightly. "You might want to listen to him."

"I've heard it all. Get rest; don't strain yourself, blah, blah!" She responded sarcastically as she straightened herself up on her crutches. "Can we just go home now? It's bad enough I'm missing the last few weeks of the term."

"Well at least you'll be able to spend Thanksgiving with us." George told her. "I'm sure the University will be happy to work something out with you and Tori and Kelly will understand about your shifts."

"Just try to enjoy the break." Dom told her. "Once the holiday season's over with, you'll go back to College and everything will be fine."

Gabby just nodded in agreement. She hated the thought of being laid up for so long, but there were certain advantages. She was going to be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, not to mention she'd also be in town for when Fran's baby was born. In some ways, she had been a little morose to think that she'd have to wait until Christmas to see everyone again, and she was always going to have to head straight back to Blue Bay Harbour pretty much straight afterwards to study in time for preliminary examinations in January. Although it was going to be frustrating being slowed down by the cast, and she was sure her parents and Dom would fuss over her, in some ways she felt like the cast might be a blessing if it gave her this.

"The car's just out the front." George told her. "I'll bring it to the door..."

"I can make it to the parking lot dad." She replied, beginning to make her way down the hall. Dom just watched her and turned back to her father, shrugging in a defeated manner.

"She's your daughter." He commented flatly. "It's kind of your fault." George just laughed as they followed her from the building.

Over at JKP, Liv had just finished getting showered after her morning exercises when she found Lily sitting on the couch, holding a package addressed to her. She gestured for Liv to take a seat.

"This arrived by courier." She informed her, handing her the package. Liv took the box, feeling that it was slightly heavy for its size. Looking at the sender's address, she hung her head low. It was from the crematorium.

"Dad." She whispered weakly. Lily reached across a hand sympathetically.

"I know there isn't a good time for this." Lily assured her. "I thought it might be an idea to get it over with."

"You're probably right." She sighed, putting the box aside. "I'll head to the park this afternoon."

"I could come with you." Lily assured her. Liv just nodded in response.

"I'd like that." She replied. "I really want to do the right thing. I want to scatter him where we scattered mom, but I still feel angry at him. I feel like dumping him down a drain or something, but I know that isn't what mom would want."

"I promise I'll keep you clear of any drains." Lily told her. "Would you like something to eat first?"

"I'm not really in the mood." She replied. "I'd just like to get this over with."

"Then get your coat." Lily told her. "I'll just get David ready and then we'll go."

Down in the restaurant's kitchen, Johnny was working hard, kneading some bread dough when RJ came into the room. After their workout that morning, RJ had asked him to start on prepping some ingredients as part of his kitchen training. He looked at him a little curiously.

"I asked you to prep the ingredients." He commented.

"It's done." He responded with a shrug. "I found some yeast and some bread flour while I was putting away the ingredients. I thought I'd try out one of my mom's old recipes."

He looked to the way Johnny was working the dough. He had to admit being impressed with his talent.

"You know the dough won't break, but I don't think you have to try to beat it to death." RJ joked lightly. "Would you mind telling me what's going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He responded without looking at RJ. He cast a glance to the oven to see if it was up to temperature yet.

"We did just work out together; I could see the aggression in you." He replied. Johnny thought about it for a second. He wanted to tell RJ about Mike, to warn him that he was planning, but something inside him stopped him. Liv had already stopped talking to him. While he knew that Mike's interest in her was far from noble, he was also sure that if he told RJ about this and he talked to Liv, then things between them would only get worse.

He hadn't known Liv especially well at first, but over time, they had started to talk. She wasn't the kind of person he normally hung around with, but then that was largely because he didn't hang around with anyone until he started working under Fran's guidance. She had helped him with a few of his assignments, and they were now working together in the restaurant and training together.

He had been there on the day her father had been arrested, being instrumental in his arrest. He had been friends with her since that day, both of them identifying with each other through being largely alone since they had begun school in Ocean Bluff.

He knew how much she had been through, and he wanted to keep Mike away from her. He had first-hand experience of how sadistic he could be. He knew Mike wouldn't care about how much she had suffered already, or how much it would hurt if he used her. Unfortunately though, he had convinced her that he cared about her, that he understood what she had gone through after her father's suicide. She was so grateful for anyone that could identify with her that she had already passionately defended Mike to both him and Fran. She had reacted angrily, storming out on him when he tried to tell her what Mike had told him about her. She hadn't said a thing to him during their shift the previous night, or all through this morning. If he tattled to RJ and he tried to stop her seeing Mike, she'd know that it was down to him. She'd turn her back on Johnny and run to Mike for sure.

"It's nothing." Johnny told him. RJ just shook his head.

"Well I'd hate to see what you're like when something's wrong." He replied. "Johnny, it's best not to bottle these things up."

"I just don't want to talk about it." Johnny assured him, putting a tray of bread into the oven. RJ just sighed as he heard this.

"Well if you need to talk, you know where I am." He reminded him. He patted him on the shoulder and went to talk to Lily and Liv as they prepared to leave. Johnny couldn't help noticing as Liv realised he was there and turned from him. He hated the fact that she wasn't listening to him. He just didn't want her to get hurt.

Gabby arrived back at her place, being accosted almost instantly by her mother. She rushed over, hugging her daughter as soon as she was out of the car, causing Gabby to laugh a little.

"Mom, I was only in hospital for one night." She reminded her.

"I'm your mother; it's my job to fuss over you." Deborah replied matter-of-factly, showing Gabby into the main room. Tori, Sally and Dustin were all waiting for her, greeting her as soon as she got into the room. Deborah guided her into an easy-chair, resting her plastered leg on a foot-stool as she came to rest.

"How are you feeling?" Tori asked her as she finally got a seat. "We heard about the leg."

"I'm fine. I'm just kind of bummed all of you missed your chance to compete." She replied. "Where are Blake and Hunter?"

"They're working on the other patient." Dustin told her. Just then, Hunter and Blake arrived, wiping their hands down as they greeted her.

"We did all we could." Blake stated, smiling at her. "She's a little banged up, but nothing irreparable."

"That sounds familiar." Gabby chuckled, thinking about it. "I was sure it'd be thrashed."

"It's mostly cosmetic damage." Hunter assured her. "By the time you get back on your feet, we'll have it ready for the track."

"I heard they caught Keith." Gabby told them. "What's happened?"

"They awarded the race to the runner up." Blake told her. "He's a good rider. He deserved it."

"I'm just sorry you all pulled out of your events." Gabby said a little sadly. "That's the whole reason you came."

"The reason we came is to have fun with our friends." Blake reminded her. "We care more about the fact you were hurt. There'll be other competitions."

"For you as well." Dustin assured her. "You were really ripping it up out there. If you hadn't crashed I'm sure you'd have wowed the judges."

"Anyway, enough talk about competitions. I say it's time we got down to important matters." Tori chipped in with a huge grin as she pulled out a pack of marker pens. "Who get to be the first to sign your cast?"

Over in Ocean Bluff Park, Lily, David and Liv made their way to the spot where they had scattered her mother. Lily just stood back, watching as Liv unwrapped the package, pulling out the urn her father's ashes had been sent in. She paused for breath for a second, before opening the top.

"Mom really loved you." She whispered to the ashes. "At least this way you can be together without you hurting her."

With that, she scattered the ashes into the wind. Lily came over, putting her arm around Liv.

"You did the right thing." She replied. "It took a lot of guts to do that for your mom. I'm proud of you."

"I'm just glad it's over." She murmured as she looked around the park sadly. Lily just smiled.

"Come on, let's go home." She told her. Liv was about to leave with her when she caught a glimpse of Mike in the distance.

"Um...actually I'd like to spend a little while alone." She told the Yellow Ranger. "Would you mind?"

"Are you sure?" Lily asked her, a little sceptically. "Ok, you know where we are."

With that, Lily left her to head back to JKP. Liv looked around to make sure she was alone before approaching Mike. He was playing touch football with a couple of his friends. As he spiked the ball, he noticed her coming over.

"If you'll excuse me guys, I think it's time I was going." He told them. One of the others just grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing with her?" He asked in response as she approached. "I mean sure, her body's not that bad, but there are better looking girls out there."

"Mancusso tried to warn me off her." He explained. "Knowing I wanted to take her to the Cherry Harvest is driving him nuts. Can you imagine what he'll do if I actually do take her?"

He approached her slowly, leaving his friends to discuss the situation. They all knew he had some kind of grudge against Johnny. They all went off, laughing and joking at her expense as Mike greeted her.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" He asked her. Liv sighed and shook her head.

"I got my father's ashes this morning." She told him. "I was just scattering him up on the hill."

"I'm sorry." He told her, taking her hands gently in his and looked into her eyes. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm just glad it's over." She told him. "Mind if I talk to you for a bit?"

Mike just smirked as he heard her say this, pulling her in close and wrapping his arm around her. She trusted him so easily, it was unbelievable. She had fallen for his lies and his deception so easily.

"Let's go somewhere a little more private." He told her, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Over in JKP, Fran came in to find RJ rummaging through his cleaning supplies frantically, muttering to himself.

"Hey, have you seen Lily?" She asked him. RJ turned to look up at her.

"She's gone out with Liv." He informed her. "Damn it all where is it?"

"Did she say how long she'd be?" Fran asked him.

"Liv got her father's ashes this morning." He informed her. "They went to the park to scatter them. Damn it all!"

"What are you looking for?" Fran asked him. RJ looked at her.

"The bleach, I can't find it anywhere." He told her.

"Maybe you just ran out." Fran suggested.

"I'm sure I bought a new bottle just the other day." He grumbled, shaking his head in a defeated manner. "Maybe I'm just going senile in my old age. Johnny?"

"Yeah RJ?" He called back from the restaurant.

"Could you hold the fort for a couple of minutes?" He asked him. "I'm just running out for some more bleach."

"Sure." Johnny replied with a shrug.

"Thanks, I'll be back as quick as I can." He rushed out as he headed for the door. "You have my cell if anything happens."

In another part of town, Liv took Mike down the street to her father's old house, making her way slowly down the street as she neared it. It still caused uneasy feelings in her when she came around. She hadn't been back since the night she had run off. Mike noticed her reaction and squeezed her a little, reminding her he was there.

"This is your old man's place?" He asked her. Liv just nodded in response. "I can't believe you lived so close and I never noticed. My place is just on the other side of the park."

"I'm not surprised you never noticed me." Se muttered gently. "No one did."

"You don't have to be afraid." He told her. "No one's going to hurt you while I'm here."

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a key and unlocked the door, allowing them inside. She looked up to him.

"I guess no one's going to hurt me in here." She stated, pulling his arm around her. "I mean, it is mine now right?"

Mike followed her in, closing the door behind them. He went through with her to the living room, taking a seat with her on the couch.

"It's a little different than I expected." He told her. "I guess you'll probably want to sell it soon."

"I hadn't really thought about it." She told him with a shrug. "I just don't feel comfortable living here anymore. I couldn't come back here."

"So you're going to live with the space cadet that owns the pizza parlour for the rest of you life?" He asked her in response.

"RJ's alright." She answered him. "He and Lily have been really good to me about everything."

"I didn't want to mention this before, but the newspapers said a lot of stuff about what happened here." He said quietly. "Is it true? You know…that he hit you?"

Liv just nodded to confirm the detail. Mike held her chin softly and turned her face towards him. He drew close to her, bringing his lips to hers. Liv quickly felt herself returning the gesture. Mike held her more closely as he thought that he had accomplished what he wanted to far quicker than he had expected. Liv eventually stopped and drew away from him a little.

"Mike, I'm not sure, I…I just can't do this right now." She told him. "Could we just talk for a while?"

He had to try hard not to give away his disappointment. He just ran a hand through her hair gently and nodded.

"If that's what you want." He told her. Liv adjusted herself on the couch, settling into his arms. She couldn't believe her luck finding someone like Mike. He knew what she was going through, and he was happy to give her exactly what she needed. She couldn't understand why the others had turned on him the way they had. All she knew was that right now, he was the one that was there for her.


	112. Johnny's Actions

The next day, Johnny got ready for school slowly. Liv had been completely taken in by Mike's performance. He was sure that if she wasn't still so vulnerable after everything she had gone through over the last couple of months, then she would have been smart enough to see right through him. She had certainly managed that with him.

He had never held out much hope of anything changing for the better when his parents had told him they were sending him to stay with his uncle to continue his education. He had left them little choice with his conduct back home. His lacklustre grades and lack of any noticeable attempt to improve had led to many dismissing him as stupid or lazy. No one knew how hard he tried to make sense of the work, or how frustrated he got when it didn't make sense. Assignments that the others seemed to master easily in a couple of weeks eluded him. Teachers tried to help him for a while, but they quickly gave up.

What was worse was that everyone else seemed to quickly come to the same conclusions. His parents simply screamed at him for his falling grades, and the other kids made fun of him for his poor grades. Eventually he started to lash out. He let everyone believe that it didn't bother him that he wasn't doing well in his classes, and pretended their insults didn't hurt. When that didn't work, he started letting his temper get the better of him and his fists started to do his talking for him. It wasn't long before the police were becoming familiar with his name, and the school was talking expulsion. When he moved out to Ocean Bluff, he had simply continued with the same old routine. It was just the same shit in a different town.

Fran had been the first one to really notice that there was a problem with him. She had been assigned to oversee his academic probation purely as a formality to satisfy the paperwork before he was expelled. Ms. Tenant hadn't even assigned a teacher to the role, merely a teaching assistant, almost in the hope that she would fail. Johnny hadn't really considered the fact she would stick by him, but she challenged him right from the beginning. She refused to be intimidated by him or his reputation. She had spent a long time looking over his records and observing his work in class and discovered his dyslexia. For the first time, someone didn't simply believe him to be stupid, and actually helped him.

Liv had helped him with some of his assignments. Since her grades were so admirable, Fran had suggested she help Johnny whenever her schedule didn't allow her to tutor him. He had a feeling that she had done it as much to get her mind off things and help with Liv's confidence as she did to help him. He had never thought much of Liv at first, not many people did. She spoke so rarely to anyone that most days people forgot she even took up desk space. Whenever she did speak, it was only because someone had spoken directly to her, and even then, it was short, and to the point, intended to divert rather than encourage interaction.

Over time though, once she had been taken from her home, her confidence had improved a little. It was still too early to expect a complete 180 in her behaviour, but even in this troubled time she had become far more vocal and outgoing. She actually spoke up in class, and had started talking to Johnny during their shifts, training sessions and their tutorials. She had stood up to him during some of his temper tantrums when his lessons got a bit frustrating, something only Fran and her friends had been. More than once, they had shared conversation as they spent time together. He had even managed to get her to laugh on a few occasions. She was like a different person now that she no longer lived in constant fear of judgement and retribution for perceived failures. Now all he could see was the good qualities in her that had amazed him. Her compassionate and friendly nature were completely unexpected for someone who had as much reason to hate and distrust others as her. He hated to think of what it would do to her if Mike got what he wanted. It would crush her if she realised too late what his true motives were.

He pulled on his bag and gave a small sigh as he prepared to make his way to school. He owed Liv, Fran, Lily and RJ all so much that he knew he had to stop this from going ahead, to prevent Mike from hurting her, even if it meant going back to some ways he'd promised himself he'd left behind. Liv meant so much to the others, all that mattered was keeping her safe.

Gabby made her way out into the yard as Tori and the others loaded up the van for their journey home. They all looked around to her as they finished loading. Hunter was the first to come over, hugging her with one arm.

"I've spoken to Kelly." He informed her. "She's more than happy to keep the job open until you're back in Blue Bay."

"Thanks for that." She whispered, kissing his cheek gently. "I'm kind of bummed I won't be with you on the return journey."

"Something tells me you'll get over it." Dustin assured her, shaking hands with Dom and her parents, before handing her a card. "Sorry it isn't much. I promise we'll have time to arrange something better by the time you get back."

"I'm going to miss you." Sally added, rushing over. Gabby just patted her head and laughed.

"I'll miss you too squirt." She told her. "Are you ready for the journey home?"

Sally giggled a little mischievously and showed her a pair of earplugs her father had bought her. Tori just crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"I'm not that bad." She grumbled. She knew they were making fun of her road rage. Blake put his arm around his wife, comforting her as Gabby just stared at her open-mouthed.

"I was in the van on the way down remember?" She asked in response. "An infantryman would have blushed."

"We're only teasing you honey." He assured her.

"Well just for that, you get the shotgun seat with me going home." She warned him. Dustin pumped a fist in the air, elated to get out of the return trip sitting with Tori as she harassed the drivers for their perceived inability to drive properly.

"Come on, we better get going if we want to miss the traffic." Blake replied, making his way to the van. "We'll call you as soon as we get back."

"See that you do." Gabby replied. "I'll keep you updated on how the leg's healing up."

With that, they all got into the van. Tori fired it up as Hunter, Dustin, Blake and Sally all pressed themselves to the window. Gabby waved as they pulled out of the drive way, all waving back on the way to the road. Gabby pulled Dom in closely as they rounded the corner out of view.

"Come on inside Gabby." Dom whispered to her, seeing that she was a little sad to watch them go. Although he knew she was looking forward to getting to spend Thanksgiving with her friends and family in Ocean Bluff in a couple of days time, he was sure she had to miss her friends from Blue Bay as well. She wasn't going to be seeing them again until she was out of the cast. "We should get some rest."

"All I've been doing since I got this damn thing on is sleeping and sitting." She complained. "I could really use some fresh air or something."

"You probably shouldn't push things too quickly." Deborah reminded her. "You can get some air tomorrow, but please, just have a quiet day today."

"I guess I don't have much choice in the matter." She sighed, thinking about the long road to the centre of town. If one of the others didn't give her a lift, she was unlikely to be able to make it all the way by herself. "I'll behave myself."

"I promise we won't let you get bored." Her mother told her. "Just rest up for a while, and we'll take you to RJ's for Thanksgiving."

"I guess that's something to look forward to." She replied as she was taken back inside.

Over at the school, Johnny arrived, finding Mike and his friends all standing around his Cadillac, discussing the party to come. Johnny started to make his way over as he heard them laughing and joking about what they planned to get up to. Mike silenced his friends as he saw Johnny.

"You want to say something Mancusso?" He asked him. Johnny just looked around the group of seniors gathered around the car, weighing up his options. While he had already fought and lost to Mike once, he was in no way afraid to do so again. Seeing the others though, he knew it wasn't likely to end well if he did make a move. "We're just discussing..."

"Leave her alone." Johnny told him. "She's a good kid; she's been through a lot. She doesn't deserve this."

"Something tells me she isn't going to object." Mike told him casually. "She certainly didn't seem to mind when we were round at her place yesterday."

Nothing had happened, but Johnny didn't know that. All he knew was what Mike told him. Apparently Liv had taken him to her old house. Why did she even want to go back to that place, let alone take Mike there? He felt his muscles stiffening as he thought about what might have happened between them. He looked up to him and smiled.

"You're bluffing." He replied.

"What...?"

"If you had been with her, it's the first thing you'd have told me." He interrupted him. Mike just laughed and shook his head.

"You know, you're right. Nothing did happen." He assured Johnny. "That doesn't mean she didn't want it to. I just wanted to stick with tradition you know? Wait until the beach party?"

Johnny hated this. He just shook his head gently.

"This is about you and me. If you want another fight, just name the time and the place." Johnny told him. "Leave her out of this."

"You know, a couple of days ago that would have been an attractive offer." He responded with a smirk. "Of course, that was before I got to know her. She's such a sweet, trusting girl. She could do with developing a little up top, but she's got a pretty good body on her. I'm sure she'd be a real goer."

Johnny grabbed his shirt, but quickly just let him go. He smirked a little, looking around at Mike's friends, who all seemed to be ready for action.

"I knew you didn't have the guts to do anything." Mike taunted him, hoping Johnny was close to the edge. Just then, Liv arrived, seeing the situation building. She moved in between them, looking between them.

"What's going on? She asked them. Seeing that she was moving steadily closer to Mike, he knew that it was pointless to try and explain.

"I was just leaving." He told her. "I heard there was a party going on and Mike was the man to ask about it."

"Sorry, it's invitation only." Mike answered sarcastically. "You understand right?"

"I guess all the rich kids like to stick with their own." Johnny responded. Liv just looked at him a little angrily.

"Johnny..."

"I said I was going." He replied. "I'll see you around Mike."

As Johnny walked away, Liv turned back to Mike, a little uncertain. She didn't understand why he was like that. She had started to see something in Johnny that she liked over the time she had tutored him and worked with him. For a long time, she had been impressed by his progress. She had heard all the stories about him before, but over the time they'd known each other, he'd shown himself to be very insightful, and a lot deeper than she had initially given him credit for. She just couldn't understand why he was being like this. He knew how hard it had been for her lately. Lily and RJ had cared for her, Fran had gotten her away from her father, but Mike had told her about his own experience. Even Fran had tried to talk to her about him. She just couldn't figure out why they seemed to want to drive away the one person that understood her.

"What was he saying to you?" She asked him. "I'm sorry about him; I don't know what his problem is..."

"He's just trying to look out for you." He reminded her. "If he can't see I mean you well, that's just his problem."

"I guess so." She said back. "I just wish he understood."

"Maybe this will help." He told her, holding her face softly and drawing her into a long, warm kiss. His friends said nothing about the gesture. Liv felt a little embarrassed about the public nature of the display, and shied away a little, but couldn't help smiling so broadly that her braces showed. She hid her face as much as she could with her hair.

"I can't believe you just did that." She whispered to him. "I'm a freshman. The other kids..."

"I don't care about the other kids." He interrupted her. "If they can't see how beautiful and special you are, that's their problem."

He put his arm around her as they started to head towards the building.

"Tell you what, how about I take you off campus for lunch?" He asked her. "I know a great place across town."

"I'm not meant to leave the campus." She commented. Mike just laughed.

"Who's going to know?" He asked her. "Meet me by the car at lunch time."

"I'll be there." She assured him as they parted, heading to their respective classes. Mike went away with a satisfied look on his face. He was getting to Johnny and he knew it. He might have had more sense than to start anything at the school, but he had already promised to 'see him around'. If, as he suspected, Johnny tried to crash the beach party, then there would be no witnesses, and no repercussions.

Casey was clearing up the gym after another class when Camille and Holly came in from the apartment. His little daughter toddled up to him with a huge grin on her face. Casey stopped what he was doing and picked her up, smiling broadly.

"So what's the occasion for the surprise?" He asked them. "You never normally come into the gym."

"You forgot to leave me the car keys again." She reminded him. "Fran's still between cars at the moment. She wanted me to test a route to the hospital with her."

"She's made another route?" Casey asked in a small laugh as he checked his pockets, finding his keys. "I know we were pretty manic about preparations before Holly was born, but I think she's even more frantic than us."

"Well she just wants everything to go well." Camille answered him. Of course there is another thing for us to look forward to."

Casey smiled as he thought about it. He knew that she was as excited as he was by the holiday period. They'd always loved Thanksgiving, and Christmas was not far off either. Of course, there was another reason for them to look forward to Christmas. They had named their daughter Holly because she was born on Christmas day. It wasn't just any Christmas; it was also going to be her first birthday.

"Of course I'm looking forward to that." He told her. "You know how much my special ladies mean to me."

He held Holly in front of his face and looked into her smiling face. "I'm going to spoil this little one rotten!"

Back at the school, Johnny sat on a low wall after the bell, looking out over the parking lot. He pulled a sandwich bag out of his bag and started to eat as the other students made their way around the campus. Only seniors were permitted to leave during lunch. It was a rule that was far from strictly adhered to, but only the seniors were able to leave via the parking lot, since doing so would attract too much attention for anyone in the lower years.

Liv had a skip in her step as she made her way to the parking lot. By the time she arrived, Mike was already there, leaning nonchalantly on the hood of his Cadillac. She came over to him, clutching her bag to her chest.

"So where are we going?" She asked him.

"I thought I'd take my special lady for a little Thai." He informed her, hopping off the hood. He kissed her quickly, before opening the passenger door. Once Liv had gotten in, he made his way to the other side. Getting in, he found Liv marvelling at the car.

"I had it restored." He told her. "My dad wanted to get me a car for my 17th."

He put the key in the ignition and turned it, but frowned as he heard an incredibly unhealthy sound coming from the engine. It was a horrendous mechanical grinding sound. White smoke started to pour out from under the hood after a minute, forcing him to kill the engine.

"What happened?" Liv asked him. Mike threw open the hood, sweeping away smoke as he tried to get a bearing on what had happened.

"I don't know, it was fine this morning!" He shrieked. He checked a few things, before checking the oil. He got a suspicious smell from it. "Son of a bitch! Someone poured bleach into the oil!"

"I guess that's bad?" Liv asked him. Mike kicked his car in frustration.

"It strips the lubricant and causes the parts to grind together!" He snapped at her. "It's going to cost a fortune just to find out how much damage this has done! Someone's ruined my car!"

As the other students crowded round a noticeably irate Mike while Liv tried to calm him down, Johnny just got up and started to walk away, discreetly depositing an empty bottle of bleach into a trash can as he went.


	113. Mike Finds Out

That evening, Liv came back to the apartment, making her way to her room, not even acknowledging Lily, Master Phant or Master Swoop who were all in the main room discussing something. As the door closed, Lily looked over her shoulder.

"Hello to you too." Lily called out sarcastically as she turned her attention back to where David was playing with his building blocks. "Thanks for agreeing to take him tonight. Johnny said he couldn't work, something about his Uncle Vinnie's wrecker's yard."

"It's absolutely no problem at all." Master Phant assured her. "I wouldn't miss a play date with this little one for anything."

"Unfortunately dad's got a lot on." Lily told them. "Master Finn's out of town on some kind of retreat or something, he wasn't too specific."

"Well I'm sure he'll make it up to David when he gets back." Swoop chuckled. "You know he likes to spoil him rotten. I'm sure he's already looking out gifts to bring him back."

"I'm sure you're right." Lily said as she cast another glance over her shoulder. Master Phant just sighed as he noticed this.

"Is there a problem?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure." Lily replied. "Liv's been acting a little strangely the last few days."

"There has been a lot going on." Swoop reminded her. "She has only just laid her father to rest, and Thanksgiving is in two days."

"She's probably just decompressing." Master Phant agreed. "It can't be easy for her."

"I know, but she was alone for a long time after we scattered her father's ashes." Lily informed them. "She's been a little distant. I really wish she'd talk to me."

"I'm sure she'll come around in time." Phant assured her. "I know it's frustrating, but she'll talk when she's ready."

"Besides, she seems happy enough." Swoop added. "Her heart rate didn't sound like she was upset.

"I guess you're right. She's had a lot on her mind recently." Lily told them. "I just can't believe she didn't even say hello."

Meanwhile, in her room, Liv threw her bag into the corner and started getting changed into her uniform for her shift. She was a little disappointed that Mike hadn't been able to take her to lunch as they had arranged. After the incident with his car, he had spent the remainder of his lunch period arranging a tow truck to take his car to a garage.

She still couldn't help thinking about him though. Although he had been angry about the vandalism, and had understandably started going more than a little ape shit, he had managed to calm down enough to apologise to her for missing their date. Even though it wasn't his fault he had something else to attend to, he had felt badly enough about her missing out that he had apologised and promised to make it up to her. She had explained that she understood and didn't need him to do anything, but he had insisted.

Tying her hair back tightly and squeezing it under her cap, she checked her appearance in the mirror, before heading into the main room. As she was going through, Lily called out to her.

"Liv, we have company." She told her. Liv looked around at the two men sitting in the room. One was an older man, wearing heavy woollen green robes. The other was a strange looking man in a long black coat with dark glasses that hid his eyes.

"Oh sorry, Hi." She greeted them. "I should..."

"You can spare a couple of minutes." Lily interrupted her. "This is Master Phant. He taught me a lot of what I know about Kung Fu."

"Hi, I'm Liv." She introduced herself, shaking his hand. She thought it was a little odd that he was addressed as 'Master Phant', since she doubted that's what it said on his birth certificate, but she just shrugged it off. Lily and her friends had a number of strange habits, and she was sure it was just an honorary title. Since she mentioned he taught Martial Arts, she presumed is was just kind of like 'sensei'.

"This is Master Swoop." She introduced the Bat Master. Swoop stood up to his full height and made his way over, shaking her hand. She had to crane her neck upwards to see him, being completely dwarfed by him. He smiled.

"I'm glad I finally got to meet you. Lily's talked about you a lot." He told her.

"Uh, thanks." She replied, not knowing how to take the new strangers. She started to back away slowly. "I should really get downstairs."

"I'll join you a minute." Lily told her as Liv turned and left. Swoop waited until the young girl had left before he spoke again.

"She is hiding it well, but she is troubled." He told her. "I can see why you're worried."

"I thought you said she was fine." Lily replied. Swoop shook his head.

"That was before I felt the aura of her animal spirit." He told her. Lily looked at him curiously.

"She only started training a little over a week ago." She informed him. "RJ and I haven't even discussed teaching her or Johnny about animal spirits. We respect Pai Zhuq too much to risk that, you know that."

"I can feel the animal spirits of others, even if they are not yet in tune." He told her. "She is tormented, but not simply by her parent's death. I feel a lot of confusion, mixed emotions. I also sense that she is hiding something from you."

"What would she be hiding?" She asked him. Swoop just laughed.

"I read her spirit, I'm not psychic." He reminded her. "I think it would be best to keep an eye on her."

"Great, now she's hiding stuff from me." Lily grumbled as she picked up her cap and got out of her seat, rubbing her son's head softly. "As if we haven't had enough dramas lately, now I have to worry about Liv hiding stuff from me."

"Welcome to the joys of having a teenager in the house." Master Phant explained softly.

Over at the Wrecker's yard, Vinnie was sifting through some parts when Johnny came over to him. He looked up, a little surprised to see him. Johnny had made no secret of the fact he hated working there, and since he had taken the job at JKP, he hadn't worked with his uncle at all.

"I'm surprised you remember where this place is." His uncle said sarcastically as Nero, his uncle's bull mastiff came padding over, looking for something to eat. Johnny just pulled a couple of cookies out of his pocket and dropped them, at which Nero started eating them, leaving them to talk.

"Mrs. Martin had to cancel our tutorial. She wasn't feeling well." Johnny told him. Although he hated lying to everyone, he had cancelled the tutorial with Fran to allow him time to cover his tracks after crippling Mike's car. He had ensured that he disposed of the bottle, but the main thing he wanted was not to attract too much attention to himself. He had invented the story about helping his uncle to give him an excuse to cancel on Fran and his shift at JKP. He was sure that if he spent too long with Liv that night, he might give himself away to Liv. He was sure his uncle wouldn't mind the help, and it was only one shift.

"I thought you'd be too busy playing around with pizzas or learning to break boards." His uncle scoffed. Despite the improvement in his schoolwork and his conduct, his uncle was still sceptical about the turnaround in Johnny's behaviour. He hated that his uncle kept putting down the things that were important to him. RJ's lessons helped him learn to control his temper, and he was really beginning to enjoy his Kung Fu lessons. He also loved his shifts at JKP. RJ had really encouraged his gift for cooking, and he was getting a chance to expand. RJ had even put a couple of Johnny's creations on the new menu, but his uncle still didn't support his new vocation. He always said that it was no career to simply bus tables his whole life.

"I don't have a shift tonight." He replied, scratching Nero behind the ear as the massive, aging guard dog simply flopped down lazily to the ground, barely conscious. "I thought you might like a hand."

"Start with that pile there." His uncle told him. "Spark plugs, wheels...you know the drill."

Johnny just grabbed a couple of tools and went to the pile of cars his uncle had indicated, popping the hood on the first one and beginning to inspect it for salvageable parts, all the while fighting his guilt over what he had done. RJ and Fran had been so supportive of him. He hated the fact he had repaid their faith in him by resorting to his old ways. He didn't want to steal the bleach from RJ, or to resort to petty crime, but it was all he could think of. Perhaps a night working with his uncle would act as suitable penance for letting his mentors down.

Over in JKP, the restaurant was in full swing when Mike arrived. He took a seat over in a corner booth, taking time to enjoy watching Liv making her way from table to table, collecting orders and handing out checks. He was still boiling over with rage inside over the damage to his car. He had already heard from the garage that the engine was going to have to be completely stripped and almost completely replaced. The whole process was going to cost a couple of grand, and although he knew his dad would pick up the tab and that it was pocket-change to him, it was still maddening to think anyone would disrespect him like that and that he would be without his beloved car for a couple of weeks.

Liv finally saw him, and looked around; making sure no one else needed her before bounding over. She pulled out her pad and smiled at him.

"What can I get you?" She asked him. Mike smiled at her.

"I'd like the Seafood Special, and a little time with my favourite girl." He told her in response. Liv wrote down his order and looked around, before leaning in and kissing him softly.

"I'll be back shortly." She assured him. "Don't go anywhere."

Mike watched her go, handing his order to RJ. She came back over to him, hiding her face a little as she did so.

"I can't believe you came here." She told him. "I didn't think you'd be in much of a mood to go out after what happened..."

"It's alright, it's just a car." He assured her, waving it off. "You stayed in the same zip code; you know what the parents are like out there. My mom sprung for the repairs. I'm just sorry we had to take a rain check on that lunch date."

"I can't believe you're seeing me like this." She commented, becoming a little self-conscious about the uniform. "I must look ridiculous. The uniforms are RJ's brilliant idea."

"To be honest, I think you make this look good." He complimented her, reaching an arm around her waist, pulling her into the booth. Liv just giggled a little, feeling the warmth of his touch. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a jewellery box, handing it to her. "Here's just a little something I picked up for you. I hope this makes up for today, I know I overreacted."

Liv opened the box, and gasped as she saw an expensive silver bracelet inside. Mike took it out, unfastening the clasp and wrapped it around her left wrist, fastening it there.

"It's beautiful, I love it!" She gushed, looking to him gratefully. "You didn't need to do that!"

"I wanted to." He replied. He moved in to kiss her, at which RJ, having noticed the display, came over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Liv, we have customers." He reminded her gently. She just looked at Mike before turning and heading out onto the floor. RJ looked back to Mike. "Sorry, I'll have your order ready shortly."

"Look, what's your problem man?" Mike asked him. "I was just spending a little time with my girl." RJ fought the urge to react to that little remark. He wasn't aware Liv was seeing anyone.

"Well, I must apologise, but she is on shift." He responded. "You can see her some other time."

"Well I must say I'm glad you expect such professionalism from your staff." Mike said sarcastically.

"I just expect them to work when I'm paying them." He replied coldly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the kitchen."

"Sure, maybe you can give me an update on that Seafood Special I ordered." Mike said arrogantly, settling back into the booth casually. "Also, could I get a cappuccino with nutmeg?"

RJ fought the urge to just throw the kid out. He was beginning to get on the Wolf Master's nerves, not least of which was down to his relationship with Liv.

"I'll get that right away." He answered as calmly as he could. Lily came over to RJ as he was leaving, carrying a bottle of bleach.

"RJ, this isn't the usual brand we use, what's the story?" She asked him. "This stuff's got a pretty bad rep."

"It's all the store had." He told her in response. "I couldn't find the bottle the other day, so I needed to get one from the store until our next order came."

"But it was full a couple of days ago." Lily replied. "What's up with that?"

Mike had overheard the whole conversation and connected the dots. Johnny worked in JKP and easily had access to the bleach. Everyone knew he was the top of his shop class, and he had more than enough motive to wreck his car.

"You know what, why don't you cancel that order?" Mike stated, getting up and pulling out his cell phone. "I have stuff to do. Tell Liv I'll see her later."

As he left, Lily just looked at RJ curiously.

"What did he mean by that?" She asked him.

"He said Liv was his girl." RJ informed her. Lily cast a critical eye over to where Liv was reluctantly working, and had obviously just noticed Mike leaving.

"Liv isn't seeing anyone." Lily stated. "At least as far as I know."

"That kid had to be a senior." RJ commented. "What would he want with a freshman girl?"

"I think we might just have to have a little word with her later." Lily sighed. "I guess I was hoping to put off the joys of having a teenager for a while yet."

Over at the Wrecker's yard, Johnny was working through another pile of cars, taking out a battery and tossing it aside when his uncle called him.

"I'm just taking Nero for a walk." He informed him. "Want me to bring back some chicken?"

"I'm good thanks Uncle Vinnie." He shouted back. "I'm nearly finished here."

"Fine, I'll see you back at the house in a little while." He responded, leaving the yard. Johnny turned his attention back to the car, beginning to extract the spark plugs when he heard the shuffle of footsteps behind him.

"Uncle Vinne, I said I'm..."

He screamed in pain as he felt a hard punch slam into his kidneys. He turned his head in time to take a hard kick to the side of his head. He scrambled back to his feet, finally seeing his predicament. At least half a dozen seniors were in the yard, surrounding him. Mike stepped into view.

"You couldn't leave it alone could you Mancusso?" Mike snapped at him. "I kicked your ass but you couldn't just let it drop could you? You had to embarrass me."

"You embarrassed yourself Mike." Johnny replied, holding a guard, and turning this way and that, trying to keep Mike and his running buddies in view while he looked for an escape route, but finding his only way out was through them. "You made a move remember?"

One of the seniors lunged for him, but Johnny intercepted him, scoring a telling kick to his knee before slamming a hard knee into his ribs.

"Well it looks like someone's been taking lessons." Mike said arrogantly. "Don't think that's going to help you."

The rest of the seniors rushed forward. Johnny used what RJ had taught him, holding his own impressively for a time, causing some telling injuries to his attackers before Mike kicked him hard in the ribs. Johnny stumbled back into a car, where a couple of his attackers pinned him to the hood while the others pounded him viciously. After a while, Mike told them to stop. He gestured for them to hold him upright. Johnny struggled as much as he could, but it was useless.

"You wrecked my car asshole." Mike snarled. Johnny just laughed.

"You know what they say about guys with a flash car." He taunted him. "Are you compensating for something?"

One of the seniors grabbed his hair, forcing him to look at Mike.

"My dad sprung for the repairs." Mike told him. "Being without wheels for a couple of weeks is annoying, but you know, Liv really was pretty sympathetic about that. I'm sure she's going to show exactly how sympathetic at the party."

"Your dad?" Johnny asked him. "You told Liv he killed himself."

"Please, moving from our neighbourhood to the middle of nowhere? He may as well have." Mike informed him. "He still likes to overcompensate for how much the divorce upset me though, so he sends pretty generous cheques every now and then."

"You lied to her." Johnny grunted angrily. "When she finds out..."

"Do you really think she's going to believe you?" Mike asked him. "It's so easy. All I have to do is show her a little kindness and tell her what she wanted to hear."

"If you touch her I'll break your God damned neck!" Johnny warned him. Mike just laughed and pulled a pistol out from the back of his jeans. Johnny felt his heart racing faster as he saw him approaching. He stood defiantly, refusing to look away as Mike placed the barrel to his forehead.

"Somehow I just can't take your threats seriously right now." He taunted him. "BANG!"

Johnny flinched as Mike shouted out. Mike just laughed at his fright, before pistol-whipping him hard to the ground. Johnny just lay there, struggling against his injuries as Mike knelt over him.

"Don't worry; come the Cherry Harvest, I'll make sure she has a great time." He told him. "See you around Mancusso."

With that, he got up and started to walk away, leaving Johnny lying on the ground. Johnny used a nearby car to pull himself to his feet. He hadn't wanted it to come to this, but he was quickly running out of options. Mike was forcing him to play by his rules. If he wanted to stop him, he had to give him what he wanted. He would have to fight.


	114. Liv's Anger

The following day, Lily was sitting in the main room of the apartment, sipping a cup of hot chocolate when Liv came in. She looked a little confused as she noticed Lily there.

"RJ's at the market." She informed her as she came over.

"Sorry, I..."

"I was awake anyway." Lily told her, pushing a plate full of toast into view. "Would you sit down?"

Liv made her way over and sat down, taking a slice. She looked around, finding herself alone with Lily.

"Where's...?"

"David's sleeping." She interrupted her. "I fed him a little while ago."

"Sorry, but..."

"Who was that guy you were talking to in the restaurant?" Lily interrupted her again. She had only been caring for Liv a short time, but she already loved her deeply. She had been a part of the family. "Who is he Liv?"

"His name is Mike." She responded. "He's my boyfriend." Lily shook her head and muttered something Liv couldn't quite make out. She tensed up, preparing to defend the man that had given her so much.

"RJ met him." Lily told her. "He said he was an arrogant prick."

"Don't talk about him like that!" Liv yelled, waking David with her tone. He looked around in alarm before starting to whimper. "He..."

"Liv, he's a lot older than you." Lily reminded her. "Are you sure..."

"There's as much of a difference between me and Mike as there is between you and RJ!" She snapped back as David began to protest at the conflict in his household loudly, screaming his head off.

"The difference is we were both adults when we got together!" Lily reminded her. "It's different!"

"I don't see how!" Liv grumbled, turning away from her. Lily noticed the glint from her wrist and snatched it, pulling it up.

"I've never seen this before." Lily told her. "Where did you get it?"

"Mike gave it to me!" Liv replied. Lily looked away, trying to gather her thoughts. Liv had been reluctant to talk to her for a while.

"Mike." She repeated. "Is that the same...?"

"He's the one who messed Johnny up!" Liv interrupted her. "He explained that."

"Johnny ended up in hospital!" Lily reminded her. "He..."

"He beat the hell out of two of Mike's friends."

"Only because they jumped him!" Lily yelled. She straightened herself out and took a couple of deep breaths. "Mike...."

"He's the only one who understands!" Liv screamed in defiance. "His dad killed himself. He's gone through this, he knows..."

"RJ said he saw you kissing him." Lily stated, bringing their thoughts back to exactly what she was worried about. "Liv, he's a senior..."

"What does that matter?" She answered, crossing her arms before her defiantly.

"There's a big age difference between you." Lily told her. "Do you not think he wants more from the relationship than you do?"

"What the hell do you want?" Liv shrieked as she threw a plate across the room, shattering it. David started screaming louder, unhappy with the hostility. "What do you want from me?"

"Liv..."

"I've finally met someone who knows what I'm going through!" She continued to rant as tears ran down her face. "I've finally met someone who wants me for me! Who actually wants me around and values me!"

"Liv..."

"Screw this, we can talk later!" Liv muttered as she walked out the door, slamming it for dramatic effect. RJ walked in slowly.

"Don't say it." Lily begged him tearfully.

"Lily..."

"I said don't say it!" She barked in response, causing him to recoil. David protested noisily, screaming loudly. "Just don't say it! I know I screwed it up!"

She rested her head in her hands and shook it gently. "She just can't see..."

"You do remember that we were only married a few weeks before we found out about David right?" He asked her.

"We were different RJ!" She told him.

"How?" He asked her. "You do remember what your dad was like when we got engaged right?"

"That's..." She tailed off a little as she saw what he was getting at. "He gave you a hard time."

"How did you react to that?" He asked her. Lily sighed as she got the point he was making.

"I told him to go to hell." She replied. "So are we just meant to sit back and let this happen?"

"I'm not happy about this, but disapproving of him is just making him seem more attractive." He explained to her. "Not to mention driving her away from us."

"So what are we meant to do?" Lily asked him. "RJ, he's too old for her. That bracelet he gave her looked really expensive, any guy that gets a girl a gift like that obviously wants..."

"If she wants to date him there really isn't much we can do about it." He reminded her. "We can only do what any parent does in this situation."

"Lock her in her room until she's old enough to vote?" Lily suggested.

"Let her make her own mistakes and support her in her decisions regardless if we agree with them." He told her. "That and be there to help pick up the pieces if it does end badly."

"I hate it when you're right." Lily grumbled. "I just don't trust him."

"Do you think I do?" RJ asked her. "I trust Liv."

"I guess I better learn to do the same." Lily responded, picking up David and beginning to help him settle down. RJ put his arms around her as she started to ease David to sleep, whispering in his ear softly.

"She'll be fine." RJ assured her.

"I really hope so." Lily replied gently.

Johnny made his way through the halls of the school, seeking out Mike. Every inch of him ached after the beating the night before. His eye and cheekbone were swollen and bruised hideously from the last blow Mike had given him with the pistol.

Finding Mike and his friends standing by the lockers, he started to approach him purposefully. It was the same group of lackeys that had jumped him the night before. The fingers of his right hand twitched slightly, checking on the steel bar he had hidden up the sleeve of his jacket in case of trouble. As he approached, Mike alerted his friends and smiled at Johnny insincerely.

"You look pretty messed up Mancusso." He told him, earning a small laugh from the others.

"I had an accident last night." He replied shortly. "Like I told Uncle Vinnie, wrecker's yards are dangerous places."

"So are schools." Mike replied, opening his jacket just enough to let Johnny see that he was still carrying the pistol. "So what do you want?"

"I want a rematch." Johnny told him. "You win, I'll fight. Name the time and place."

"Well that is an attractive offer." Mike responded. "Friday, after school, the old science block."

"How about today?" Johnny asked him, his grip on the bar tightening as he looked around Mike's friends, ensuring none of them were making a move. He didn't want to settle things this way, but he was willing to use the concealed weapon if that's what it took to avoid a repeat of the night before. "Why wait?"

"Well you see I have this little party I need to go to tomorrow night." Mike told him, running a hand over his face. "I don't want to mess up my face before my big date."

"Then maybe we should just throw down right now." Johnny suggested. The other students moved to intercept him, but Mike held up a hand. Johnny turned in time to see Ms. Tenant standing behind him.

"Is there a problem here?" She asked them. She noticed Johnny's face and turned to him first. "Mr. Mancusso?"

"He was just telling us he had an accident working at his uncle's place last night." Mike told her. She looked to Johnny who just nodded.

"Some parts fell on me." He lied unconvincingly. "A wrecker's yard can be pretty dangerous."

"Isn't it funny how these accidents keep happening around you?" She asked him coldly. Johnny struggled to keep his anger in check. "You know it wouldn't look good on your record if I put you back on academic probation."

"That's why I'm keeping my nose clean." Johnny assured her. Ms. Tenant looked between the students far from convinced, but she had no reason to start handing out detentions as far as she was aware.

"I believe your locker's over there." She told Mike. "Class starts shortly."

"No problem." He responded. "Oh Johnny, about that appointment you asked for? I'm afraid I've got a lot on." He told him. "I'll be with friends for the next couple of days. I'm afraid it'll have to wait until Friday."

Johnny knew what he meant. He was not going to give Johnny the chance to catch him on his own. He was taking no chances, and of course, he still had the gun. He considered making a move there and then, but with Ms. Tenant there, he would be expelled for sure. She had been looking for an excuse to get rid of Johnny for a while, whereas Mike's family had donated a considerable amount of money to the school over the years, one of the reasons Mike's academic career had been so easy. If push came to shove, there was no question who she would side with.

"No problem." Johnny replied, backing away from him. "I'll see you around."

As he walked away, he struggled to contain his rage. He hated the thought of what was going to happen to Liv at that party, but Mike was determined to ensure he went through with it. He now knew that there was only one option. If they were going to have a party, then it looked like he'd have to crash. Arriving at his locker, he slipped the metal bar out of his sleeve and put it in the locker, before getting out his books. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for him.

Over at JKP, Lily and RJ were busy setting up the restaurant when Gabby and Dom came in. Lily stopped what she was doing, rushing over to Gabby's side and hugging her.

"I was wondering when I was going to see you." Lily gushed. "I thought I was going to have to wait until the big Thanksgiving meal tomorrow."

"Trust me; I was going nuts with all mom's fussing." Gabby replied as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I know she's just looking after me but I just had to get out of there. She's driving me insane!"

"She's a little restless." Dom confirmed. "We already went for a walk around the park."

"So what's with the bags?" Gabby asked her. "Sleepless night?"

Lily realised Gabby was talking about the bags under her eyes and sat with her, taking a deep breath. She really hadn't had much sleep. She was too worried about Liv to get much rest.

"I had a fight with Liv this morning." Lily told her. "She's hooked up with a guy."

"Well I guess that was bound to happen eventually." Gabby responded. "I take it you're not keen."

"I just don't trust him." Lily replied. "His name's Mike. He beat the hell out of Johnny a couple of months ago."

"Is he a senior?" Gabby asked her. Lily nodded.

"That's one of the things I'm worried about." Lily replied. "He's a lot older than her..."

"There was a Mike in the year below me that had a bit of a reputation." Gabby interrupted her. "Mike Bishop. His family owns the local brewery. They're one of the richest families in town. His dad put him into Martial Arts since he was about 5. He's a real MMA nut."

"That sounds like him." Lily replied. "Johnny said he took him in a cage fight."

"He has a reputation. Everyone said he was a psycho." Gabby told her. "If I were you I'd keep an eye on her."

"What do you know about him?" Lily asked her. Gabby just shrugged.

"Apparently his family buys his grades. He's coasted through his classes for years." She informed Lily. "Girls always crowded around him. Supposedly he's got a bit of a reputation as a ladies' man."

"Then what would he want with Liv?" Lily asked her. "RJ caught them kissing last night."

Gabby's brow creased as she heard this.

"Has she said anything about a party?" Gabby asked her. Lily shook her head. "I'd keep a close eye on her. The Cherry Harvest is around this time of year."

"The Cherry Harvest?" Lily asked her. "What's that?"

"The rumour is the rich kids have a party at this time of year." She told the Yellow Ranger. "They take a bunch of girls and a butt load of booze somewhere nice and quiet. They get the girls wasted and then...you know...take their cherry."

"Are you sure about this?" Lily asked her.

"That's the rumour." Gabby told her with a shrug. "Of course I was never the most popular girl in school. It's just what I heard."

Lily signalled RJ over, and sat him down next to her.

"Gabby, tell RJ what you just told me." She implored her.

Back at the school, Johnny left after his final class of the day, English with Dr. Jennings, seeing Liv walk away with a skip in her step. Since the following day was Thanksgiving, they would have the day off, so this was the last chance he'd have to warn her what Mike really wanted. He approached her and touched her shoulder, causing her to turn round. Her expression hardened as she saw him.

"Johnny, what do you want?" She asked him.

"Are you going to the party tomorrow night?" He asked her.

"What if I am?" She snapped coldly. "Mike..."

"Mike's an asshole!" Johnny told her. He gestured to his bruises. "He did this to me last night. Some of his friends came to the wrecker's yard and had a great time stomping all over my ass."

"I don't believe..."

"He put a gun to my head!" Johnny interrupted her sharply. "Liv, I know you don't want to believe me but he's a psycho! He could have killed me!"

"You'd do anything to break us up wouldn't you?" Liv asked him. "You're the one with the problem Johnny. I wouldn't put it past you to do that to yourself."

"Liv, he doesn't care about you. He just wants to sleep with you." Johnny told her. "That's what the Cherry Harvest is about."

"The Cherry Harvest is just an urban myth!" She snapped back. "Mike wouldn't do that."

"Is there a problem?" Mike asked as he arrived behind her. He put his arm around Liv gently, pulling her into his side. "Johnny, how are you after the accident?"

"I'll live." He replied.

"It looked like something intense was going down." He commented.

"Johnny thinks you just want to get me drunk and sleep with me." Liv informed him. Mike looked a little wounded.

"You know not everyone is like that." He said to Johnny. "You know, maybe if you weren't so cynical, you'd have a bit more luck with the ladies."

"Liv..."

"If you have a problem with us Johnny, that's just what it is, it's your problem." Liv told him flatly. "Come on Mike, I need to get home."

Johnny just slammed a fist into his locker in frustration. He hated the fact she was so taken in by his lies. He wanted to expose him as the scumbag he really was, but he couldn't. She never believed anything he told her when it came to Mike. Telling her he had lied to her from the beginning to lure her to the Cherry Harvest would accomplish nothing.

Opening his locker to put his books away, he let out a small sigh. He would have to step into the lion's den tomorrow if he was to stop her doing something she'd regret. He was going to have to crash the party and force their rematch a day early.

Liv arrived back at JKP, kissing Mike softly as they parted. Going inside, she found Lily, RJ, Gabby and Dom sitting there. Gabby looked to Lily and nodded her head, wordlessly answering the inevitable question. It was the Mike she thought it was.

"Liv, sit down for a second." Lily beckoned her. She did as she was told, sitting with them. "Firstly, I'm sorry about earlier. I over reacted, and I'm sorry."

"It's nothing." She replied.

"Liv, I just want to ask you, did Mike invite you to a party?" RJ asked her. Liv looked at him a little uncertain about this.

"He did." She replied. "It's tomorrow night. I was going to go just after dinner..."

"Liv, its Thanksgiving!" Lily interrupted her. "I was hoping we'd spend it together..."

"I said I'd be here for dinner!" She snapped back. "I do have a life outside of here."

"There's no need to talk to us like that!" RJ told her. "Liv, we care about you, you're like family to us. We just wanted to spend time with you."

"I want to spend time with you too; I just also want to spend time with Mike." She replied.

"Liv, Mike's not a nice guy. I remember him from my time at school." Gabby told her. "The party he's taking you to is the Cherry Harvest."

"It's a myth!" Liv shrieked. "Who the hell do you think you are to talk about Mike like that? You don't even know him!"

"Liv that is no way to talk to Gabby, she's a friend of ours!" Lily told her. "We just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Then why are you constantly dumping on him?" She asked in response. "I'm going to that party."

"You are not!" Lily snapped, slamming her hands on the table and standing up, glowering at her. "You are going to spend the whole night here! You're grounded young lady!"

"Go to hell!" She screamed, storming out of the room, slamming the door loudly. Lily held her face in her hands as she realised she had lost it again.

"I'm sorry RJ, I can't help it." She replied. "I hate what he's doing to her."

"I understand, it's alright." He told her reassuringly. "I'm sorry Gabby, she isn't normally like that."

"It's alright." Gabby replied.

"No it isn't." Lily told her. "She had no right to talk to you like that."

"She's just hurting." Gabby told her. "It's Thanksgiving, and if memory serves, she really doesn't have a whole lot to be thankful for."

Up in her room, Liv slammed the door, throwing herself onto the bed angrily. She couldn't understand why no one wanted her to be happy. Mike gave her what she needed. He was willing to listen to her, and he understood her. Why did everyone have such a problem with him?

Over at the house he shared with his uncle, Johnny made his way downstairs in the dead of night. He stepped lightly, just as RJ had taught him so he wouldn't wake his uncle as he went into the living room.

Opening the drawer in the main cabinet there, he pulled out a cigar box, and opened it. It contained his uncle's old service revolver. He had been in the Navy for a short time in his youth, and had kept it as a souvenir.

Johnny opened it, and checked it wasn't loaded, before looking for some bullets. Picking up the first one, he was about to put it in when he felt his chest tightening. This wasn't the way to do things. He didn't care about being kicked out of school, he didn't even care about being arrested, the only thing he could think about was the look of disappointment on RJ's face if he found out he had settled his problems this way. Putting the pistol back in the box and putting it away, he headed up to his room to his bed. While it might not be the wisest plan, he would settle his vendetta the old fashioned way, one-on-one, face-to-face.


	115. Cherry Harvest

The following day, JKP was closed. Although it would have earned them a considerable amount of passing trade if they opened it, Lily and RJ had made the decision to keep things quiet for Liv's sake. It was going to be the first of many "first" occasions since she had found out the truth about her mother and her father had killed himself.

RJ was in the kitchen, busily beginning to prepare the turkey. As a compromise, Lily had agreed to let him make turkey and stuffing pizzas for the occasion. As he started to ram stuffing into the cavity, Lily came in carrying David in his brand new outfit for the occasion.

"Have you seen Liv this morning?" Lily asked him. RJ knew Lily felt badly about losing it with Liv the night before. Although they only wanted to protect her, to stop her from making a huge mistake that she couldn't take back, she had let her protective nature get the better of her and ploughed in with both feet.

"She's having a shower." He informed Lily, continuing to stuff the bird. "She had some aggression to work through, so I took her through some exercises."

"That's my fault I guess." Lily muttered. "I'll try and talk to her before the others arrive for dinner."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" RJ asked her.

"I'll keep it together this time." Lily assured him. "I could really live without another screaming match today."

Liv walked into the room, sorting out her hair as she came in. It was now dyed jet-black, with white streaks running down her fringe. She was wearing a dark red t-shirt, and white denims. Lily had to stop herself from commenting when she noticed she was still wearing the bracelet Mike had given her. She and RJ had quickly come to the conclusion that bad-mouthing the senior was far from productive.

"I like what you've done with your hair." Lily complimented her. Liv just shrugged.

"I felt like a change." She replied.

"Listen, I shouldn't have gone off like I did last night." Lily said apologetically as she adjusted David's position in her arms. He smiled broadly as he reached out for Liv. He had grown accustomed to her, and loved having her around. "I guess I didn't handle things that well."

"That's an understatement." Liv muttered in response.

"I guess I deserve that." Lily replied. "Liv, I know you've been through a lot recently. I just don't want you to rush into making any major decisions. I don't know Mike, but if he makes you happy, then I guess I just have to live with it."

"So I can go to the party?" She asked her. Lily tried hard to find a way to steer her away from the subject of the party diplomatically.

"Liv, this is the first major holiday since..." Her words tailed off. "There'll be other parties, but I would really like it if you would spend the day with us."

"Lily..."

"Please, I'd really like to have a day with the family." Lily continued.

"Family?" Liv asked her, a little smile crossing her lips. Lily smiled back, realising that her plan was working. She held David over to her, at which she held out her arms, taking him. David grabbed some of her hair, fascinated by the change in it.

"Iv, Iv!" He gurgled. He still hadn't quite mastered her name, but it was close enough. Liv just laughed a little.

"Yeah, it's me little guy." She replied. "You like the new hair?"

As she wandered around the apartment, Lily went to the kitchen, finding RJ preparing to put the turkey into the oven.

"You know, maybe you were right about this after all." Lily whispered to him. "Maybe just trying to talk to her was the way to go."

"She's a pretty smart kid." RJ answered her. "If we just trust her a little, I'm sure she'll make the right choices in the end."

In another part of town, Mike was busy helping his friends buy up drink for the party. They had just finished loading up the car when he pulled out his cell phone. He had only one thing to do now. He dialled the phone, getting an answer quickly. Liv trapped her cell phone between her head and her shoulder as she continued to carry David around the room.

"I was just calling to see if you're looking forward to tonight." Mike asked her. Liv looked around seeing Lily greeting the first of her guests, her father, Megan and their two children, Stephanie and Jack. She realised that she would be too busy with them to notice her.

"I'm sorry; Lily wants to do a whole family thing." Liv told him. "I guess we'll have to call a rain check?"

"Are you sure you couldn't give the folks the slip?" He asked her. "I was really looking forward to seeing you."

"I was too." She replied. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Well I guess I'll just have to try and have a good time without you." He sighed. Liv felt a little saddened by this she genuinely wanted to see him that day, but she had only just made things up with Lily. She looked around, making sure they were still distracted by their first guests.

"I'll try and slip away a little later after dinner." She told him, smiling broadly. "I could tell them I have some homework or something."

Putting away her cell phone, she noticed Michael coming over and acted as innocently as she could.

"Liv, it's always a pleasure." He told her, patting her shoulder gently. "There's my grandson! How are you David?"

Liv handed him over, before making her way over to greet Lily's guests as they arrived. She hated lying to Lily, but she didn't want to hurt her feelings. Lily and RJ had done so much for her, she hated fighting with them.

Johnny had left the house he shared with his Uncle early in the day. It wasn't as though he really wanted to spend the day with his uncle anyway, he was sure they'd just end up having another fight.

As he made his way to the beach, he found the senior kids beginning to prepare the site of the party. True to form, they had bought an unhealthy amount of drink. Girls had started to arrive as they began to set up a barbecue.

Johnny looked around, finding Mike sitting on a nearby dune, casually sipping a beer. He couldn't see Liv anywhere, and was beginning to hope that she had decided against going. He found somewhere to hide himself and continued to watch over the party. He needed to be sure that Liv wasn't there. He was in for a long night.

Over in JKP, the last of the guests arrived, and the apartment was once more busy and noisy. Everyone laughed as Casey finished relaying an embarrassing story from his sisters' childhood, causing both the Rhodes twins to try and hide their faces from view.

"Hey, not fair embarrassing us like that!" Susan protested loudly.

"Oh come on, embarrassing the family is a Rhodes family tradition." Casey reminded them.

"Well it's just mean!" Michelle added. "She is pregnant remember?"

"Hey, she'll have more to complain about later." Fran reminded them, rubbing her stomach gently. "I can't wait to meet the little guy at last."

Liv got up and started to make her way to her room. Lily noticed this and frowned.

"Liv, where are you going?" She asked her. Liv took a deep breath and prepared to lie to her.

"I have a homework assignment to take care of." She told her. "I want to get it out the way before dinner."

"Alright, I'll call you when dinner's ready." She responded. Liv made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"I can't believe the school still gives out homework over the holidays." Gabby commented. Dom put his arm around her, holding her tightly.

"Well I for one think it's good that she has something to occupy her mind." Dom told them. "She seems to be holding it together pretty well."

"I'm just glad things are going so smoothly." RJ replied. "Goodness knows she's had a lot on this year."

Meanwhile, in her room, Liv gathered her jacket, and opened the window, climbing out the fire escape. She hoped she could get to the party and back before they noticed she was missing. Maybe she could make everyone happy, especially herself.

Johnny watched on as the party got into full swing. The booze was flowing freely, and the music was blaring loudly. Normally such a disturbance would have attracted the attention of the police, but due to the holiday, the streets were virtually deserted, and so the cops weren't as active as usual.

He was just about to leave, determining that Liv had indeed given the party a miss when he saw her arriving. She looked around frantically, trying to find Mike. He saw her and came over, wrapping his arm around her.

"Hey, you made it." He chimed cheerfully, kissing the top of her head. "I love what you've done to your hair."

"I just felt like trying something new." She told him. Mike gestured to one of his cronies to pour her a beer from the keg. Liv saw this and looked up at him. "Mike, I'm underage."

"Everyone here is underage." He reminded her turning her to face him. As he did this, his comrade pulled a bottle of bourbon out from under the table, adding it to the beer behind her back. "Come on, it's just a little beer."

Liv didn't want to disappoint him, and took the beer, beginning to drink. She retched a little as the bitter, frothy liquid hit her throat. It tasted utterly vile to her, but she didn't want Mike to look down on her or think she was a kid. She forced a smile.

"Here, let's get somewhere a little more comfortable." He told her, leading her away. Johnny could only watch as she went with him. He didn't want to make a move too soon.

Back at JKP, the assembled guests were sitting around, sharing stories and jokes as the evening wore on. RJ made his way to the oven, checking on his creation.

"That smells great." Lily complimented him as the aroma flooded out of the oven. "It smells like it's almost done."

"The table's set, now all we need is to get everyone there." He replied.

"I'll go and get Liv." Lily told him. She made her way to Liv's room, knocking on the door gently. "Liv, dinner's ready."

She didn't hear a response. Knocking again a little louder, she started to open the door.

"Liv?" As she got inside, she let out a groan as she found the room empty and the window open. "RJ, she's gone!"

He came over behind her, peering into the room.

"Don't panic Lily; I'm sure she's fine." He told her.

"She promised me she wouldn't go to that party." Lily protested angrily. "I can't believe she lied to me! She lied right to my face!"

"Calm down Lily, this isn't going to do any good." RJ assured her, grabbing his jacket. "Casey, Dad, Swoop, come on, we need to look for her."

As the night progressed, Mike kept his drinking under wraps, while he kept handing Liv cup after cup of bourbon-laced beer. She was beginning to get a little red-faced, and was noticeably swaying as she sat.

"So are you enjoying yourself?" He asked her, brushing her hair out of her face. Liv smiled at him a little dreamily.

"I really am." She replied. "Thanks for inviting me."

He looked deeply, into her eyes and drew her into a long, passionate kiss. Liv quickly found herself swept up in the moment as he laid her down. Mike started to run his hands over her body, stroking her gently. As she felt her shirt begin to lift, she pulled away sharply.

"Mike, I'm sorry, I can't." She rushed out. "This is going a little fast for me."

"Come on Liv, this is normal." He told her. "Don't you want to do this?"

"Maybe at some point, but not right now." She told him. "I just want to slow down, wait until the time's right. You understand don't you?"

Mike sat up and shook his head gently, laughing.

"I guess that's what I get for going out with a kid." He responded. He got up, and started to walk away. Liv got up, running after him.

"Mike, it isn't you, I just..."

"I can't believe I wasted all that time with you." He interrupted her arrogantly. "You've got a pretty nice body kid, but you could do with developing a bit more up top."

Liv crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her build defensively. A few tears started to form in her eyes.

"Mike, what are you saying?" She asked him. "I thought you loved me."

"You really think I wanted to listen to you whine and moan? I was bored shitless with you!" He told her. "I only wanted you when I thought I might seal the deal. Now that's off the menu, why should I bother wasting my time?"

"You used me?" She whimpered, realising that what everyone had warned her about was true. Mike didn't care about her. He only wanted her when he thought he was going to get something from her.

"It was so pathetic to watch. You bought every line I fed you." He told her. "It was almost worth Mancusso wrecking the car to get you in the sack, but at least dad covered the costs."

"Your dad's alive?" She asked him. "You lied to me about everything?"

"Grow up kid, get over it." He laughed as the others started to crowd around her. Liv started to draw into herself, becoming painfully aware of all the others gawking at her judgementally. She wiped her eyes as she tried to look for a place to hide. She begged the world to open up and swallow her whole. "It was fun while it lasted."

Johnny had heard more than enough by now. He bellowed a savage cry, throwing himself at Mike, tackling him to the ground. Mike covered up as Johnny rained fists down on him. A couple of his friends grabbed him, hauling him off Mike and holding him in place as he got back to his feet. Mike paced back and forth.

"Well at least tonight's not a total bust." He taunted him. "Are you up for our rematch Johnny?"

Johnny looked around, seeing the others surrounding him, cutting off his escape. Liv was already too raw, to hurt to do anything. All he wanted was to take her home, but the other guests wouldn't allow him to leave. Johnny pulled himself free of the other senior's grip and adopted a guard.

Mike rushed forward, swinging a kick for his leg, but Johnny was too quick for him. He managed to dodge aside, kicking Mike hard in the ribs.

"This time it's going to be different." Johnny told him. "I've learned a few things since the first time."

As Mike lunged for him again, he quickly found himself under pressure. RJ's training had made the whole situation very different. Now Johnny was a match for him. As the fight wore on, he found himself being taken to the ground hard, landing in the sand.

He got to his knees, looking up at Johnny as he mopped blood from his nose with his wrist.

"You want to call it quits?" Johnny asked him. Mike just laughed as he scooped up a handful of sand, throwing it into his face.

"Not a chance bitch!" He roared as Johnny found himself blinded. He rushed forward, beginning to pound on him aggressively. Johnny fell to the ground, at which Mike started to kick him in the ribs over and over again.

"Leave him alone!" Liv screamed, launching herself onto his back. Mike threw her over his shoulder, dumping her roughly on the ground. He laughed at her as she looked up at him.

"You can't beat me Johnny, you never could!" He taunted him as he reached into the back of his jeans, pulling out his pistol. He levelled it in Johnny's direction. "I could take you out right now. You're mine kid!"

Just then, a bright purple beam struck his hand, burning it painfully and forcing him to drop the gun. Everyone looked around to see the Wolf Ranger approaching.

"Everyone get out of here!" He snapped at them. "NOW!"

All the others quickly obeyed his request, leaving the beach as quickly as they could. Mike looked up at the Ranger in horror.

"Pulling a gun on a kid? I bet that makes you feel really brave!" RJ stated. He picked up the gun, throwing it as hard as he could into the ocean. "Get out of here kid."

Mike got up and ran from the beach as fast as his legs would carry him. RJ turned back to Liv and Johnny, realising that he couldn't de-morph in front of them without giving away his identity.

"Hey kid, can you walk?" He asked Johnny. Liv helped him to his feet, as he cradled his ribs painfully.

"I'll manage." He told him.

"Take the girl home." RJ instructed him. "I can smell the drink from here. She's in no state to go home alone."

Johnny put his arm around her as Liv looked down to her feet in shame. They walked away, leaving him on the beach. He activated his communicator as he saw them go.

"Lily, I've found her. Johnny's walking her home." He told her. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"How is she?" Lily asked him in response.

"I'd suggest we go easy on her tonight. It looks like Mike showed her his true colours." He informed her. "She's been through enough for one night."

RJ knew that they had to talk to Liv about this. She needed to be disciplined. She had lied to them, disobeyed them and drank illegally, but he could see from her tears how hurt she was already. The lecture could wait until tomorrow. Right now, all that mattered was making sure she and Johnny both got home safely.


	116. Liv's Punishment

Johnny and Liv arrived outside JKP a little while later. Johnny held Liv softly, guiding her through the streets as they approached the restaurant. Liv looked up to the building, a little sheepishly as she tried to prepare herself to go inside. She let out a little sigh.

"I can come in with you for a while if you like." Johnny offered. Liv pulled into him a little more. She appreciated his attempt to defend her, to protect her from the shouting match she was sure she thought she would face when she went in.

"Johnny, thanks for standing up for me." She murmured quietly, the effects of the alcohol in her system causing her to ramble a little. "I know I've not exactly done much to deserve it lately."

"It's alright; Mike has a lot of people fooled." Johnny replied, releasing her to allow her to look up at him. She reached up, touching his face regretfully.

"I can't believe you did this for me." Liv said sadly. "I can't believe I put you through so much, and you still fought for me."

"It looks a lot worse than it is." He assured her with a small smile. "I've had worse."

"I said so many awful things to you." Liv responded. "I can't believe I accused you of being jealous. I know you were just looking out for me."

"Hey, don't sweat it." He told her, waving off her apology. "I know I haven't always made the smartest of choices."

She looked down on the bracelet Mike had given her, and let out another sad little sigh, before taking it off. She couldn't believe she had been taken in so completely by him. RJ arrived behind them.

"Liv, you're here." RJ greeted them. "We were worried about you, I was looking for you."

She shrunk away a little as she realised that meant that her absence had been discovered. Aside from anything else, between her ruined makeup as a result of her tears, and the stench of stale beer on her, there was no way she would be able to avoid the fallout. Johnny looked a little sympathetic to her plight.

"Do you want me to come in?" He asked her. Liv looked to RJ and shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, but it's time to face the music." She told him. "I'll see you around."

RJ just nodded to indicate that they wouldn't upset her any further.

"Thanks for bringing her home Johnny." He told him. "Are you sure you're OK to go home?"

"I'll manage." He told him. He reached down, tapping Liv on the shoulder. "I love what you've done with your hair by the way."

"Thanks." She replied as he turned and left. "For everything I mean."

Johnny just walked away, smiling despite his injuries. Knowing she was safe was all that mattered.

Liv made her way inside with RJ, finding the others all sitting around waiting for them. Lily came over, causing her to look away in shame. She could guess that Lily wasn't happy with what had happened, not least because she had betrayed her trust. Lily pulled her in, hugging her warmly. Liv took comfort in her arms, sobbing gently as a result of her mistreatment.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked her. Liv nodded her head sadly.

"Mike lied about everything." She replied. "You were right about him all along."

"For what it's worth, I really wish I was wrong." Lily assured her. "I'm really sorry he turned out to be a jerk."

"I'm sorry I lied to you." Liv apologised. Lily just smiled at her.

"I'm just pleased you're safe." She responded. "I'm guessing you could probably do with some rest. Go to bed, we can talk more in the morning."

Liv just nodded and left the room, her head hung low as she went. Flit stroked the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he shook his head.

"She's going to suffer in the morning." He commented. "It smells like she had a butt load of booze."

"Somehow I think a hangover's the least of her worries." Lily replied. "She's just had her heart broken."

"Mike has a lot to answer for." RJ commented. "I thanked Johnny, but I think we should probably have a word with him in the future too. Going after Mike like that when he had a gun was a pretty boneheaded thing to do."

"I'm sure he knows that." Lily assured him.

"So what do we do about punishing her?" RJ asked her. Lily just looked at him a little surprised.

"I thought you wouldn't want to upset her any further." Lily commented.

"She did lie to us." He reminded her. "She sneaked out after we specifically asked her not to. She was drinking. We can't just ignore that."

"He's right honey." Michael agreed. "If she is going to live in your home, there need to be ground rules."

"I guess I haven't done much of that lately." Lily replied with a shrug. "She's been through so much this year I've been concentrating on making her feel better and not on getting her into a routine."

"Well now's time to start." Master Finn replied. "Anyway, there's been enough unpleasantness for one day. I believe dinner shouldn't be beyond salvaging."

With that, they all gathered around the table. Lily took a couple of slices of the pizza and went into Liv's room, finding her just getting ready for bed. She laid the plate down on her bedside table.

"I thought you might be hungry." She suggested. Liv just groaned and picked up the plate.

"Lily, I really am sorry." Liv told her. Lily just sat on the edge of the bed with her. "I know I've let you down."

"It's alright, I know I haven't handled everything brilliantly myself." She told her. "Now, eat up and get some rest. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Liv just did as she was told. She didn't want to disappoint Lily any further. Lily left her alone to her rest, rejoining her guests.

The next morning, RJ went into the main room, preparing for his workout only to find Liv already sitting out at the main table, cradling her head in her hands. She looked a little green around the gills, and was incredibly pale. He sat down opposite her as Lily came into the room, taking a little amusement in her suffering. Obviously she was experiencing the joys of her hangover.

"How are you feeling kiddo?" He asked her.

"I am never drinking again!" She grumbled. "I feel awful."

"There is a legal age of consumption for a reason." Lily reminded her. "Anyway, we're glad you're safe, but I think we need to talk about some things."

"I guess it's too much to hope for that this is punishment enough." She complained. "Alright, what am I looking at?"

"We've been giving you a lot of leeway, but I think now it's time to think a little more long term." Lily told her. "We need to set down some ground rules."

"First and foremost, the most important rule is no lying to us." RJ began. "This is only going to work if we're all honest with each other, so from now on, open book."

"No problem." Liv agreed, nodding gently.

"Secondly, from now on you have a curfew." He told her. "You are to be no later than 10 PM on weeknights unless either myself or Lily ok's it and accompany you." He told her. "Weekends, you can have until 11. Is that understood?"

"Sure." Liv answered again.

"Finally, no more drinking." Lily told her flatly. "There's an age limit for a reason."

"You don't have to worry about that." Liv grumbled. "Right now I don't think I'll ever drink again."

"Anyway, we have to discuss your punishment." RJ told her. "Since this is the first offence, and there has been a lot going on, we'll go easy on you. You're grounded for the next two weeks."

"That means you work in the restaurant, you train with RJ and you go to school. Nothing else. You are to go straight to school, and come straight home. Is that understood?"

"I guess so." She responded, unhappy with the situation, but realising that they only did it because they cared about her, and that given how serious the consequences could have been that under the circumstances, they were being lenient.

"Now, get yourself ready for your training." RJ told her. "Start warming up."

"But I feel awful." She whined. "I can barely move. If I start running around, I'll hurl for sure."

"You know, I think I have something that will help with that." RJ told her. He got up and left the table. She knew he had some experience with alternative medicine, and figured he was going to get her something to help. He appeared back a little while later, and her face fell as she saw he was carrying a bucket.

"You're not serious." She moaned. "I thought you were going to get me something to take away the hangover."

"What would you learn from that?" He asked her with a shrug.

"I guess a little sympathy's too much to hope for?" She quizzed him in response. RJ just shook his head.

"It's self inflicted. You'll get no sympathy here." He told her. "Come on, time to start."

Liv just moaned as she got up and started to make her way over to the mats. Although she still felt ill, and was sure the exercise was not going to help matters, she couldn't help feeling happier. They were only doing this because they loved her and didn't want her to come to any harm. Despite the fact she was certain that she would be using the bucket in the near future, she had something she never thought she would have. She had something to be thankful for. She had a family.


	117. A Week Later

A week later, Johnny arrived at JKP in the morning, finding Liv in the restaurant mopping the floors. Her hair was tied back into a pony tail to keep it from her face, and she was wearing white jeans and a blue t-shirt, printed with a Kasabian logo, under which she wore a sheer, skin-toned faux sleeve tattoo shirt depicting roses. She looked up as he arrived.

"How's the sentence coming along?" He asked her. Liv just sniggered. Since the party, she had been grounded, only being allowed to leave to go to school.

"It's not that bad." She replied, putting the mop aside as she picked up her bag. She showed him her hand, three of her fingers sporting band aids. "RJ's pretty creative with punishments. He had me folding pizza boxes all last night." Johnny sucked his teeth as she said this.

"Paper cuts aren't good." He agreed. "So are you ready to go?"

"Sure." She replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm just glad there's not long to go until the Christmas holidays. Hopefully everyone will have found something else to talk about by then."

Johnny could understand what she meant. Just because nothing had happened at the Cherry Harvest didn't mean stories weren't being spread. Everyone had seen how wasted Liv was, and how she hung off him, so of course everyone presumed she actually had slept with him and the fight happened because Mike dumped her. Needless to say, that version of the story was the one Mike liked and he was doing nothing to stop it.

"Trust me, they will." Johnny assured her. "I overheard Mike telling everyone in the gym that if the Wolf Ranger hadn't blasted him he'd have kicked his ass. Apparently everyone forgot that he practically pissed himself when he saw a Power Ranger."

"I still can't figure out why he turned up like that." Liv commented. "It's been nearly two years since the Jungle Fury Rangers were active."

"Well it's just as well he did." Johnny replied. "Mike had that gun. RJ's spent the last week reminding me how much of a bonehead move it was taking on a guy packing heat."

This was also true. RJ had talked to Johnny, chastising him for trying to deal with the Mike situation by himself after the fight at the wrecker's yard. He had told him at length that once he knew he carried a gun, he should have told him and Lily and that the situation could easily have lead to someone being killed. While he hadn't stopped training Johnny, and he kept his job, he had banned him from the kitchen for two weeks. He appreciated that Johnny's intentions were noble, but he couldn't ignore the fact that his actions had led to their lives being in danger. Johnny hated not being able to exercise his passion for cooking, but he kept his mouth shut and accepted his punishment without question. If RJ, Fran and Lily had turned their backs on him, that would hurt more than he could bear. It felt strangely good to have someone be ashamed of him. It showed they cared enough to have expectations.

"Wait." She told him, placing a hand on his chest. She pointed upwards to a little sprig of mistletoe hanging from a string above the door. "It's RJ's idea for the holidays."

She grabbed his shirt and pulled Johnny down, quickly pressing her lips to his. His mind wandered as she did this. He had grown to like her, becoming friends with her over their time working and training together. He had defended her against Mike as much as he could, going so far as to risk everything he had worked so hard for with RJ, and even his life. As she released him, he couldn't deny it any longer.

He hadn't thought about considering Liv as anything more than a friend. She was a little skittish and shy, and sometimes he had no idea what was going on in her mind or understand what she was saying, but her eccentricities had been growing on him. He now realised the real reason he had done so much to protect her and why her short-lived relationship with Mike bothered him so much. She had accused him of being jealous. It was only now that he realised she was right. He looked into her eyes as they parted.

"Uh..." He searched his mind for something to say, hoping not to alarm her. He knew that the kiss under the mistletoe was a tradition, and that was likely the only reason she had done it. He didn't want to do anything that would change their friendship. "We should...we should probably get going."

Liv grabbed her bag and bounded from the restaurant at which Johnny just shook his mind clear. He hated the fact this had happened. Before this, he had been able to deny things to himself, and to delude himself into believing that this wasn't happening, but now he couldn't. All he could think about since the kiss was that he wanted more from her.

In another part of the city, Theo and Fran made their way into the hospital for another scan. It was now only days from Fran's expected due date, and they wanted to ensure everything was going smoothly. Fran entered the examination room, finding Dr. Wallace waiting for them.

"Michelle told me you were punctual." He stated as he gestured to the bench. "You know the drill Mrs. Martin. I'll just start up the monitor."

Theo helped her hop up onto the bench and get as comfortable as she could. Fran lifted her t-shirt enough to expose her stomach as Dr. Wallace got the gel. He started to rub it onto her skin, causing her to wince slightly as the cold gel hit her skin.

"Sorry about this." He stated as he noticed this, picking up the scanner. "I know this isn't the most pleasant thing."

He started rubbing the wand around on her stomach, pressing down.

"Everything looks to be in order." He told her. "Your son's a good size, and the heart beat's really strong."

"I'm glad to hear that." Theo told him, taking Fran's hand as they watched the monitor. "So do you have a time frame?"

"By this stage really the only thing that decides is him." He told them. "He'll come when he's ready and not a second sooner. Unless we induce him of course."

"Would it harm him to do that?" Fran asked him.

"He's full term; there would be no ill effects." He assured them. "Is this something you'd consider?"

Theo and Fran looked at each other, before finally making the decision.

"It's fine. We'll just let things go their own way." Fran told him, turning back to the monitor. "He's our little miracle. Nature's been kind to us so far, why tempt fate now?"

Over at the school, Dr. Jennings was finishing reading the suicide scene in Romeo and Juliet in his usual animated manner. Johnny was barely paying attention, spending most of the lesson staring at Liv. She was listening intently, hanging on his every word while most of the class were leaning back, unnerved, and almost terrified by the old English teacher's enthusiasm. He concluded by grabbing his letter opener from his desk.

"O happy dagger, this is thy sheath!" He quoted, holding it aloft. "There rest and let me die."

He thrust it into his stomach, though obviously not with enough force to drive it home. He looked to the class. "How do we feel about this ending?"

"I'm not sold on it." Liv told him. "I mean, if she loved him so much, why didn't she just run away?"

"That is a good point." Dr. Jennings conceded. "Although it could be argued her parents made that impossible."

"Of course it isn't like she was a shrinking violet." Liv replied. "You're talking about a girl who was 14, maybe 16 years old who not only fell in love with the son of her father's mortal enemy, but married him and then snuck him into his house and slept with him in her father's house."

"That's another excellent point Ms. Jenkins!" He roared, smiling broadly. There were a few whispers from the back of the class, at which her shoulders noticeably slumped. Neither she nor Johnny needed to actually hear what was being said to know what it was about. Johnny's jaw clenched tightly and he tightened his grip on his pencil as he noticed her reaction. Obviously talking about this had caused the subject of her relationship with Mike to become something to comment on. He didn't notice what Dr. Jennings was saying as he looked around. She was obviously becoming uncomfortable at the attention.

"Mr. Mancusso!" Dr. Jennings yelled a little forcefully, snapping his fingers to draw his attention. Obviously he had asked him a question that Johnny had ignored as his attention drifted. "What do you think?"

"About what?" He asked, eliciting a small laugh from the others. Dr. Jennings just stroked the bridge of his nose and reached for his flask of coffee.

"If Juliet was strong enough to do all that, why did she just fold to her parent's wishes and not run away to join Romeo?" He asked him. Johnny looked to Liv as she turned in her seat, feeling his heart racing as he considered his answer.

"It's hard to disappoint someone who's proud of you." Johnny answered. "As much as she hated the fact they would disapprove of her relationship, they are her parents."

"So you think what she did was right?" Dr. Jennings asked her. Johnny shook his head.

"What would have been right is if they talked to their parents and made them understand, even if they didn't like it." He answered. "But neither of them could bear their parent's shame, so they didn't just come clean."

"So you don't think what they did was right." Dr. Jennings asked him. Johnny shook his head as he looked to Liv, feeling a warm sensation rising in him as he saw her eyes.

"No, it wasn't right, but it was understandable." He replied. He thought about his new relationship with RJ and let out a sigh as he thought about what he would risk losing if he told Liv what he felt. RJ and Lily obviously cared for her, and while they had helped him, he was sure that if he hurt her, intentionally or otherwise, that would all end in an instant. "Sometimes it's just too hard to defy someone who has so much faith in you."

Over at JKP, Lily and Dom had finished setting up for lunch time when Fran and Theo came in. Fran waddled over to a booth, taking the weight off her feet.

"I take it everything's going well." Lily commented, seeing how happy they both were.

"The little guy's pretty much on his own schedule now." Fran replied, patting her belly softly. "He could come at any time."

"Well that's great news." Lily replied. "Anyway, I have a few things we need picked up. Theo, would you and Dom mind doing that? I want to see the pictures!"

Theo just rolled his eyes and took the shopping list from Lily. He knew he wouldn't win that argument, Lily was almost more excited about the baby than he and Fran were.

"Come on Dom, let's get going." He grumbled. "If we go now, we can avoid the traffic."

Lily sat with Fran and started flicking through the pictures.

"I really wish I hadn't had a c-section." Lily commented. "You're really lucky. You must be really looking forward to this."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to passing something the size of a watermelon through an orifice the size of a tangerine." She said sarcastically. "Lily, you were unconscious through your birth. You were the lucky one."

"It didn't feel like it at the time." She replied. "Of course that was largely down to the coma and everything."

"I guess there isn't an ideal way to do this." Fran said with a shrug. Just then, Johnny and Liv arrived.

"You know you aren't meant to leave school grounds during the day." Lily reminded her.

"The others were giving her a hard time." Johnny chipped in before Liv could answer. "I'll take the heat if it comes."

"They all still believe Mike's stories." Liv confirmed. "I really wish they'd have seen him running off once the Wolf Ranger showed up. Then his big man on campus image would be gone."

"You can't help what people think about you." Lily assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know the truth, that's all that counts."

"Anyway, can I make us a sandwich or something?" Johnny asked her. "I know I'm not meant to be in the kitchen...."

"I'll make an exception this once." Lily told them. "Stay here and watch the restaurant. I want to take David for a walk before the lunch rush."

As Lily left, Liv sat with Fran in the booth.

"How's the little guy doing?" She asked her. Fran smiled.

"He's ready to come any time." She answered. "So how are things for my favourite jail bird?"

"One week left on the sentence." Liv answered. "I guess things could have been worse."

Just then, they heard an almighty explosion outside, and several chairs fell over. Johnny threw himself under Liv as she fell, taking her in his arms and letting her land on his chest to cushion her fall. She scrambled to her feet.

"What the hell was that?" Liv shrieked as she ran to the window, looking out. A section of the street had been ripped open by the explosion, and a couple of cars were overturned and had burst into flames. A police car arrived on the scene, and the officers started ushering people away. "It looks like a gas main just exploded."

"That's not the only problem." Fran grunted as a pained look crossed her face. "I think my water's just broke."

Johnny looked horrified as he realised what this meant. He grabbed the phone, but found the line dead. Obviously when the gas main exploded, it knocked out the phone service. He rushed to the door, only to find a cop ramming a hand into his face.

"Sorry son, but the street's closed." He told him. "Get back inside for your own safety."

Johnny reluctantly closed the door, turning back to Fran.

"Do you have your cell phone?" He asked her. She shook her head. "Liv?"

"I don't have a cell." She replied. "My dad didn't let me have one, and Lily and RJ..."

"Great, well this really puts us in the shit." He grumbled. "The street's been closed because of the explosion. We can't get Mrs. Martin out of here."

"So what does that mean?" Fran shrieked.

"I guess that means we do this the old-fashioned way." He replied, pulling off his jacket. "Liv, boil some water."

"Why?" She asked him.

"I don't know, but all the movies say to do that!" He screamed back at her. "One way or another..."

His words just tailed off as Fran grunted again. He looked down in horror.

"OK, there's no way that was anything other than your waters breaking." He commented. "Liv, get as much linen as you can lay your hands on. One way or another the baby's coming."


	118. Fran's Cub

Liv grabbed as much clean linen as she could carry as Johnny stayed with Fran. She came over, setting down the pile.

"The whole street's been closed off." She informed them. "We're trapped in here, there's no way an ambulance can get here."

"It looks like we're on our own then." Johnny stated.

"I can't give birth here!" Fran complained as another contraction hit. "Do either of you know what you're doing?"

Liv and Johnny just looked at each other, their silence saying everything it needed to. Both of them were only children, they hadn't even been present for the birth of siblings. Anything they knew about child birth was what little they had learned from TV.

"We don't have a choice." He replied. "Just...concentrate on your breathing and we'll do what we can."

"I'm going to see if there's some way we can get a message out." Liv told them, heading up into the apartment. She looked around for inspiration, but couldn't find anything. Lily had taken her cell with her, and the phone lines were down after the gas explosion.

Getting an idea quickly, she grabbed a bed sheet and a marker pen.

Outside on the street, RJ came back to find Lily at the end of the street. Fire engines and police had already blocked off the street while they tried to make the street safe.

"Is everyone safe?" He asked her. Lily shook her head.

"I think so. Fran, Liv and Johnny were in the restaurant when I left." She informed him as he craned his neck to see. "It doesn't look like there's much damage to the restaurant. If they're inside, they should be fine.

"That's Liv." RJ stated as he saw her head out onto the balcony. "What's she doing?"

Liv unravelled the bed sheet, onto which she had hastily written a message to the emergency crews. RJ grabbed one of the police officers.

"Our friend is in Jungle Karma. She's just gone into labour." He informed them, pointing to where Liv was holding the message. "We have to get an ambulance..."

"We can't do anything like that." The cop said apologetically. "The main's still open. There's no way we can risk sending in an ambulance until the fire crews secure it."

"But she's giving birth right now!" Lily yelled at him. The cop just shook his head.

"It'll be at least half an hour until we can get an ambulance in there." He insisted. "I'm sorry."

As he left, RJ pulled Lily aside.

"I know a little about midwifery." He informed her. "If I can get in there I can help them."

"RJ you heard what he said. We can't get in there." Lily reminded him. "There's no way they'll let us through."

"Who said I was going?" He asked her, pulling his sleeve up, revealing the Wolf Morpher. "I'll find somewhere I can change."

Meanwhile, back inside the restaurant, Fran grunted as another contraction hit her. Liv checked her watch.

"OK, that was only about a minute." Liv informed them. "There's no way we can wait any longer."

"I am not having my son in the damned restaurant!" Fran shrieked. Johnny shook his head.

"I don't think you're getting much of a choice in the matter." He replied. "Did your lemans classes tell you when to push?"

"When the baby's starting to crown." Fran informed him. Her eyes suddenly grew wide as she now realised what position she was in. While she liked the teenagers, they were her students. It wasn't as though she loved the thought of having them staring at her privates while she gave birth to her son. "I can't do this!"

Just then, they heard a noise from upstairs. The Wolf Ranger ran down the stairs, having entered through the balcony. Johnny and Liv saw him.

"I'm here to help." RJ told them. Fran still wasn't thrilled about the prospect of giving birth in the restaurant, but at least RJ had some experience as a healer, and it was a little easier to accept him taking that role. "Johnny, step aside."

"How do you know my name?" He asked as he stepped aside and let RJ in. He realised that he had stumbled into that one. He could worry about explanations later, but right now he had work to do.

"I'll explain later. Liv, have you boiled some water?" He asked her. "This baby isn't waiting for anyone."

"RJ?" She asked as she handed him a bowl of water, recognising his voice. He recalled his helmet, revealing his identity. "You're a Power Ranger?"

"I'll explain everything later, I promise but right now I have to concentrate." He told them. Fran let out a hellish scream as she started another contraction. RJ looked down, checking her. "You're now fully dilated, we should see the head any minute now."

"What do you want us to do?" Johnny asked him. RJ shook his head.

"Just get ready for this. It isn't going to be pleasant." He informed them. "Fran, I'm starting to see the head. The next time there's a contraction, start pushing."

Outside on the street, Lily paced back and forth as she waited for the emergency services to secure the street. An ambulance arrived, stopping as close as it could go without going into the cordoned off zone. Theo ran into the street, having been called to the scene by Lily.

"Theo, they're in the restaurant right now." He informed them.

"How far along is she?" He asked her, trying to see if he could see into the restaurant to no avail. "Has there been any word?"

"The phones are out." Lily informed him. "There's no way to contact her."

"Who's in there with her?" He asked her. Lily looked to him a little worried.

"Liv and Johnny were the only ones in there." She told him regretfully. "It's alright though; the Wolf Ranger went in a few minutes ago."

Back in the restaurant, Liv held Fran's hand as she gritted her teeth, pushing as hard as she could. She whispered encouragement into Fran's ear softly as she held her, stroking her hair. Johnny couldn't help looking at her. Despite her panic, she seemed to be holding it together well, helping Fran through the labour. RJ nudged him with his elbow.

"Johnny, get some of those sheets." He told him. Johnny did as he was told, unfolding it as they prepared for the baby's arrival. He held the sheet as RJ watched on. "One more push Fran."

She screamed once more, at which RJ lifted the baby aside and handed him to Johnny. He wrapped him up in the sheet as the baby started to cry. Johnny held the baby closely as his first cries reached his mother's ears.

"That's it Fran." He told her. "He's here. We just need you to give one last push."

Johnny brought the baby up to where Fran could see him, showing Fran her son for the first time. He was lost in Liv's excitement. Her face lit up as she saw him, smiling widely enough that she exposed her extensive braces. Johnny always loved it when she smiled like that. It was just one of the things he had fallen for about her.

"He's beautiful." Liv complimented Fran. "He's perfect."

Fran took the bundle from Johnny, smiling as she beheld her son. Holding him closely, she kissed him gently. RJ re-activated his helmet.

"I'll explain everything, just like I promised, but right now I need you both to keep this under wraps." He told them. Both Johnny and Liv nodded in understanding. "I'll think of a cover story to cover your absence from school."

"Thanks RJ." Liv replied. RJ went to the door to check on the emergency crews. "The EMT's are coming through. It looks like they've finally secured the gas main."

He came back to Fran's side, and knelt with her, looking into her eyes.

"The baby will be fine. I'll let them do their thing." He told her. "I need to get out of here."

"I'll see you later." Fran told him. RJ left quickly, vacating the room just before the EMT's arrived with Theo and Lily. He rushed to his wife's side, checking on her.

"Fran, honey are you alright?" He asked her. Fran smiled at him as she showed him their son.

"I couldn't be better." She replied softly.

A/N: Very short chapter, but just wanted to get it out before the weekend. Hope you enjoyed it.


	119. Almost Christmas

It had been a couple of weeks since Fran's frantic and unexpected labour by the time things had calmed down. The hospital had opted to hold Fran and the baby for a couple of days due to the somewhat unorthodox delivery, but she had finally come home with her new baby boy, Algernon or "Algie" Robert Martin.

They had chosen Robert as his middle name in honour of RJ, since he had given Fran so much in the early days. The Wolf Master had taken an instant shine to him as a result, becoming somewhat of an honorary uncle to him. Theo's parents hadn't yet been able to come and visit, but they had promised they'd try to get there over the holidays at some point, while his twin brother Luan was so excited at the prospect of meeting his nephew, that he had said he would do everything he could to get there for Christmas. The problem was that he was in New York at the time, and it was only a couple of weeks until Christmas when Algie was born. The last they had heard, he had hired a rental car somewhere in Missouri around four days previously.

RJ had been able to re-open the restaurant after a couple of days, as the gas main was secured. He had obviously lost some money from the couple of days he had been forced to be closed, but he had found a great source or revenue to recoup at least some of those losses from the workmen that had been on site to repair the damage to the street. He and Lily had been fortunate that JKP was far enough away from the blast that there was no real damage, and so only a little cleaning was needed to get things back into shape, meaning they were able to re-open as soon as the street was safe. Liv and Johnny had been made to take that as a part of the remaining week of their respective punishments over the Thanksgiving incident, though in truth, they managed to get off a couple of days early given their part in helping Fran with the birth. He had also found himself having to go through the process of telling them who he and his friends really were, having revealed himself as the Wolf Ranger when he helped Fran. They were both excited by the prospect, and it made their training seem all the more special, knowing that they were being trained not just by a skilled teacher, but by a real-life superhero.

Having finally served their respective "sentence" and ended up back in RJ and Lily's good books, they were simply taking time to enjoy the last day of term. Being freshmen, they didn't have any preliminary exams, meaning that they had some respite from Mike while he concentrated on not flunking half his subjects. Johnny was just getting some books out of his locker, deep in thought. He had been thinking a lot about Liv, especially in the last few weeks. Although they had ended up being friends with her, he never would have seen himself thinking of her as anything more, but now he had seen so much in her that he really liked.

He was racking his brain, trying to think of something to give her as a gift for Christmas. He wanted something special, but so far he wasn't sure how she felt about him, and so he was a little worried about getting her anything too personal. He wanted her to know how he felt about her, but he just wasn't sure if he should tell her and risk her rejecting him.

He jumped with a start as she slammed back-first into the locker next to him, looking up with her bright eyes, and her usual cheerful smile.

"God, would you not do that?" He asked her, looking down at her. She was wearing one of her usual heavy rock t-shirts, her jersey tied around her waist. She was wearing a floppy elf hat on her head, which raised a small laugh from him. "I take it you're getting into the spirit of the season."

"I was wondering if you were working tonight." She greeted him cheerily, ignoring the comment.

"I am, RJ wants all hands on deck." Johnny replied. "I wasn't really planning on going to the dance anyway."

"I never do." Liv added. "Dad was never really too keen on the idea of me going out and meeting guys and..."

"You don't...want to go do you?" He asked her out of a mixture of curiosity and a desire to get the subject off her father.

"Not really." She replied, leaning her head back against the lockers. "I never was a social creature anyway. I guess I'd rather be in JKP earning some money."

"I don't go for the whole school events thing anyway." Johnny agreed, trying to get his mind on something else. "RJ'll need us."

"Oh, Johnny I got you something!" She suddenly interjected, remembering what she had picked up earlier. Johnny was a little curious, slightly worried if it was a present. He still had no idea what he wanted to give her, if she gave him something, it would only put more pressure on him to get her something she'd like. She reached into her bag, pulling out a red and white Santa hat, presenting it to him. "Come on, put it on! Get in the spirit of things!"

"Sorry, not my thing." He chuckled, gently pushing it away. "You're more likely to see me streaking round the football field during the end of year game than wearing that!"

"Bah Humbug!" She stated with a cute little fake pout. "Look, I just have to ask you a small favour. I have a little thing I have to do on Friday. Would you mind covering for me with Lily and RJ?"

"Liv..."

"Come on Johnny, I'll be really quick, it'll take an hour at most." She pleaded with him. "Come on, I really need this, it's an important part of their Christmas."

"You can go to the store anytime." He told her. "They'll be open..."

Liv just looked up at him, her eyes begging him. Johnny couldn't resist that face, not when all he wanted was to make her happy.

"I'll cover for you for one hour." He told her. "That's it!"

"You're the greatest!" She yelled, jumping up and hugging him enthusiastically. "Look, I really need to get going, I have a study period last thing, so I should be able to duck out and get out quickly."

"Wait, you're leaving before the last bell?" He asked her. "Liv, Ms. Tenant..."

"Ms. Tenant's car pulled out of the car park at lunch time." Liv informed him. "Rumour has it she has a hot date to get to. I'll be safe."

With that, she darted away. Johnny was beginning to think he might have become a bad influence on her after all. She was ducking out of school, spying on teachers, and asking him to cover for her with Lily and RJ. In the end though, he knew he could trust her. If she said it was important, that was good enough for him.

"Ms. Tenant has a date?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief, thinking about the stern, humourless headmistress. "The poor guy doesn't know what he's letting himself in for."

Over at JKP, Fran brought Algie into the main apartment while Lily was sitting running through some numbers. David was on the floor a little distance away where she could see him, playing with some building blocks.

"Fran, it's great to see you both again!" She rushed out, taking the opportunity to put her books to one side for a while. "How is he?"

"He's sleeping like a little angel now he knows he's meeting company." Fran responded as she rolled her eyes, putting down the changing bag she was carrying. "I swear, now I believe all those stories you told me about David. They really do hide it well."

"These are the things you learn." Lily agreed as Fran laid her son down. "Did Michelle give him a check up?"

"She and Flit are both more than happy with how he turned out." Fran declared proudly. "He's a tough little one alright."

"RJ's still bragging about the fact that he was born here." Lily told her. "He keeps saying that JKP was his first home."

"I guess in a way it kind of was." Fran commented thoughtfully. "It kind of was for me too."

"So is there any word from Luan?" Lily asked her.

"Still no word since Missouri." Fran informed her. "With his sense of direction I'll be surprised if he gets here for next Christmas."

"Well at least he's making an effort." Lily replied cheerfully. "How's Theo doing?"

"He's getting by." Fran said with a sigh. "Between the Rock Porium, Casey's gym and this little guy, he hardly ever sleeps now."

"The joys of parenting." Lily said with a slightly forced, fake sigh. "You wouldn't change a thing though would you?"

"Not on your life." Fran replied, looking to the crib.

In the city, Liv was making her way through the shopping centre, heading towards her destination. Normally she would have stood out like a sore thumb being out of school so early, but on the last week of term, a lot of kids skipped their last few classes. Most of the teachers knew there was no point teaching them, they wouldn't be paying attention and would only forget anything they'd been taught by the end of the holiday anyway and so they didn't bother with a lesson plan, or reporting truancy. The kids often had much the same attitude, and so the last days of term were usually only a formality. As a result, no one was really bothered about kinds hanging around the mall.

She made her way through, passing all the kids making their final few purchases. A charitable person might think they were still buying Christmas presents, but since most were buying clothing in their own sizes, it was far more likely that they were getting their outfits for the dance. Liv genuinely wasn't concerned about going. She was telling the truth when she said she wasn't a sociable person. She never talked to or had much to do with the other kids at school. The fact that she had spent a couple of weeks as the hottest gossiping point when rumours circulated she had gone all the way with Mike did nothing to make her want to have anything to do with them. All in, she would much rather spend the time at JKP with RJ, Lily and the others.

She arrived at her destination, City Hall, and went inside, finding that the queues were surprisingly short. Despite being the last day it would be open before closing for the holidays, it seemed the citizens of Ocean Bluff were busier with their shopping than anything else. She managed to get to an open window relatively quickly.

"Can I help you miss?" The woman asked her, looking down at her. Liv took out her student ID and slipped it through the drawer.

"You have a document for me." She replied, giving her a quick smile. The woman checked the photo, taking a second to establish it was her. She had changed her hair colour since the photo was taken, and the hat really didn't help the matter. Eventually she slipped it back before checking through a drawer. Apparently she was satisfied.

"Here you go miss." She replied. "Happy holidays."

Liv tore open the envelope and pulled the paper out a little, smiling broadly as she saw what she was hoping for. She flashed her braces at the woman as she grinned, completely over the moon.

"Thank you, happy holidays to you too!" She yelled. Had it not been for the glass, she'd have been in danger of leaping over the counter and hugging her. Instead, she just clutched the envelope to her chest and ran from the building as fast as she could. If she was quick, she would only be a few minutes late for her shift.

In JKP, Johnny was just serving the first of the customers when RJ came into the restaurant. He looked around; smiling as he saw the place was already filling up nicely.

"Now this is what I like to see!" He chirped with glee, seeing all the hungry shoppers coming in from the last of their shopping, and kids starting to arrive before the school dance. "If business keeps up like this, I can retire while I'm still young."

"Young?" Johnny asked sarcastically. RJ just nudged him gently, chastising him half-heartedly for the joke at his expense. "Hey, have you seen Liv anywhere?"

"I...uh..." Johnny tried hard to think of a lie that would convince RJ when he saw Liv arriving in the kitchen door, dressed in her uniform. He pointed towards her. "I accidentally spilled some drinks on her uniform, she just went to change."

"Hey RJ!" She greeted him. Johnny just mimed behind RJ's back that it was alright before she tried to explain her late arrival.

"Well now that we're all here..."

Just then, the door burst open as a group of senior kids arrived. RJ tensed up as he saw Mike was leading them. They were all dressed up, obviously ready for the dance that night. Mike was wearing black pants, a suede jacket, and a light blue Ben Sherman shirt. He had a plaster cast on his right hand. RJ knew that he hadn't had the Wolf Blaster turned up powerful enough to break bones. He was sure it would have burned him, and hurt like hell for a few days, but he had heard about Mike's stories about what happened that night. He was milking the incident for sympathy, and to get special arrangements made for his exams and assignments.

"Hey Johnny, get us a booth when you're not too busy." He quipped, getting a little laugh from the group. RJ just held up a hand and shook his head.

"I'll handle this." He told him, before making his way over to the group. "I'm sorry sir, but you and your group are not welcome at this establishment. Please leave and allow others to enter."

"You're asking me to leave?" Mike snorted as the others backed him up. "A guy your age who still works as a pizza boy..."

"I'm a chef actually." RJ corrected him. "I own the restaurant."

"You really have the audacity to ask me to leave?" He asked again. "Do you have any idea who I am?" Mike just laughed, and his friends joined in.

"My dad could buy and sell this place." He told him. "Now, just be a good little boy..."

"My name is not boy." RJ told him flatly. "I own this restaurant, and as such, I have the right to serve who I choose. None of you are going to be served."

As RJ was about to leave, Mike swung his plaster cast for his head. Faster than anyone could follow, he blocked the blow, before kicking Mike's legs high into the air, sending him crashing to the floor on the back of his head. He grabbed his head and was about to get up when RJ planted a foot on his chest.

"Leave now or I call the police." He warned him.

"I'll sue you!" Mike yelled at him. RJ just shook his head and flicked a thumb over his shoulder, showing him the security camera.

"You threw the first blow, and I used reasonable force to defend myself." RJ told him. He grabbed Mike by the jacket, pulling him to his feet and shoving him back to be caught by his friends. "Get out of here. You aren't welcome. If you come back, I'll call the police."

He pulled a little closer to Mike so that he could hear him, showing no intimidation whatsoever. Mike started to back down a little, feeling that this was one battle he would never win.

"I heard about what you did to Liv, and what you did to Johnny." RJ informed him. "I also heard about all the nasty little rumours you've been spreading. It stops now, are we understanding each other?"

Mike just nodded in understanding, before straightening out his jacket and leaving with as much dignity and composure as he could. There was a small round of applause from all the tables as RJ turned back to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that folks, we like our diners to have a pleasant experience. My two little helpers here will now come around the tables and see who would like a complimentary mince pie or mini Christmas pudding as a token of our apology." He announced. Johnny and Liv immediately went about their tables doing just as RJ had said.

As he took orders, Johnny just looked between RJ and Liv, re-evaluating his position. It didn't matter how he felt about Liv. He could see how much she meant to him by the way he stepped in to stand up for her like that. RJ had already done so much for him; he couldn't risk losing that respect from him. He resigned himself to the fact that it would be risking too much to do anything with Liv. If anything did go down between them and RJ didn't approve, it would be the end of all the things he had now that made him feel good about himself.

Liv on the other hand was just having thoughts about the way RJ had defended her. She had never felt anyone having that kind of love for her. He had defended her in a way her father never had. It was then she was sure that she had picked exactly the right present for them. She had applied to legally change her name. Once they opened the envelope on Christmas day, if they as her legal guardians signed it, she would from then on use the name Olivia James.

A/N: Sorry to skip so much of the following weeks, but I just had to get something of a JFNL Christmas chapter out, but unfortunately I'm unlikely to get to do an ACTUAL Christmas chapter before the day (kind of like I did with Thanksgiving). Hope this makes up for it, and here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Knightwood


	120. JKP New Year

A/N: Sorry this took so long to update. I had good intentions of doing a Christmas AND a New Year chapter, but I've been side-tracked. Hope this kind of makes up for it.

Liv and Johnny were just clearing up the restaurant as the last of the customers left. It was a little late, but since it was New Year's Eve, RJ had seen the benefit in keeping the restaurant open a little later to catch the passing trade from people making their way to various bars and clubs as the time ticked away towards midnight.

It was now 10:30 and the last of the raucous customers had left, after wishing them both a Happy New Year. Or, at least that's what they took what they had said to mean, since they were already a little merry, and speaking far too loud as a result of music in a number of the bars in the area. Johnny had shaken hands with most of them, but being the only girl in the restaurant at the time, Liv had received the rough end of it, having to accept several overly-enthusiastic hugs and kisses on the cheek in good humour.

Johnny was normally happy whenever he saw her smiling or heard her laughing, but watching all of those customers manhandling her, he could barely restrain himself. He tightened his grip on the mop he was using so much that his knuckles started to turn white. Liv finally managed to get the last of them out the door, before quickly closing it and snapping on the lock.

"God, I thought they'd never leave!" She groaned as she leaned against the door wearily. "I swear next year, I'm making plans."

"I think that might be a little hard if you're still living here Ms. James." Johnny replied with a little smirk. This was Johnny's first shift back since before Christmas, and so Liv had only told him that night about her gift to RJ and Lily. They had talked about it, but it was a foregone conclusion. They were so touched by her gesture, that they were only too happy to sign the form, officially changing her surname to James. She had now been accepted as a member of the family. She came over and hit him playfully in the chest, laughing.

"Come on, all their friends are coming over." Liv told him. "I want a chance to change."

"Personally I think you're pretty great the way you are." Johnny answered before he could stop himself. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable smart-ass reply. It didn't come though, instead, Liv just shook her head as she picked up a spray bottle and a cloth.

"That was so corny!" She teased him playfully. "I thought Italians were meant to be good at pick-up lines."

"I'm Italian-American." He reminded her as he started to mop the floor, checking around for anything he had missed when he was sweeping. "I guess I get my moves from my Grandfather."

He hated this. Being close to her, alone like this was becoming harder and harder to bear. He had already promised himself that he wouldn't make a move on her out of respect for RJ. He knew how much she meant to him and Lily. Hearing about her new name only reinforced the position she held in their lives. She went over to the Jukebox, putting a dollar in, and selecting a few songs, before going back to wiping down tables. He smiled as he saw her dancing slightly to the music. It was just one of the many little things about her he found endearing.

"You always put on the same four songs." He commented.

"Kira Oliver's one of my favourite singers." She told him with a shrug.

"You know, it would be cheaper just buying the CD." He reminded her. Liv just looked up at him and launched a service cloth playfully at his head. It hit him squarely, causing him to laugh.

"No fair being logical!" She grumbled. "Maybe you should make that your New Year's resolution."

Johnny just shook his head at this and threw the cloth back so she could carry on with her work. Liv watched him for a little while as he went about his chore. Suddenly, she shrieked and pointed at him.

"I saw that!" She screamed.

"Saw what?" He asked her.

"You were moving to the beat." She said in a playful tone. "You were dancing."

"I don't dance." Johnny assured her.

"That's not what it looks like to me." She told him, snatching the mop from him. She started mopping up, copying the way he was moving, though somewhat exaggerating it. Before long, she wasn't mopping at all, but kind of waltzing with the mop.

"I do not look like that!" He complained. "You can stop now."

"Not until you admit it." Liv teased him, dipping the mop like a dance partner, before continuing to spin.

"I thought you wanted to finish up quickly." He commented.

"Not until you admit it!" She said again, giggling slightly at his embarrassment. Eventually, Johnny just picked up her spray bottle, and sprayed her shirt at point-blank range, soaking it through. He burst out laughing as she stared at him, open-mouthed in shock.

"Oh you are going to pay for that!" She yelled, sticking the mop into the bucket and flicking water over him. Johnny responded by spraying her again. Before long the restaurant was soaked. They only stopped as they heard a cough from the door. They turned to see Gabby and Dom standing before them.

"Are we interrupting something?" Dom asked them. Liv and Johnny just looked at each other for a second.

"Dance lessons." Liv replied. "I was just showing Johnny how he dances to this song when he's mopping."

"Well just get this place cleaned up before RJ sees it." Gabby told them in a laugh, making her way carefully across the floor. "God knows I'd hate to break the other leg."

"Dance lessons?" Dom asked them. He shook his head and laughed, making his way upstairs. Liv just came to Johnny's side, watching them disappear up the stairs.

"Does every one of RJ's friends have a key to this place?" He asked her. "You'd think a former Power Ranger would be a little more security conscious."

"You don't suppose they thought we were...?" Liv asked him. Johnny didn't know how to answer. It did look a lot like they were flirting. She just shook her head and slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, they are right. Let's get this cleaned up. We have pretty much trashed it."

Upstairs, RJ, Michael and Master Finn were preparing a small buffet, while Casey and Theo were arranging drinks for the New Year's celebration, while Luan, who had finally made it all the way across the country, was 'helping' them by 'sampling' the drinks. Fran was with Megan and Camille, watching all the kids as Dom and Gabby arrived.

"It's good to see you're almost ready." He commented. "Another year's almost over!"

"Dom, it's great to see you!" Lily rushed out, coming over and kissing his cheek. "Gabby, how are you?"

"The doctor says he's happy with the healing so far. He just took an X-ray and gave me a new cast." She informed the former Yellow Ranger. "They said they'll do some tests in a couple of weeks. Hopefully I won't need too much physio to get the strength back."

"You and that bike, you're obsessed!" Dom chastised her. "All I hear about is how much she misses the track!"

"Dom, you know how I get when I have to sit still for too long." Gabby reminded him. "I've been in this damn thing over a month now; I'm bored out of my skull!"

"Well just don't overdo things." Lily lectured her. "You don't want to be in that any longer than you have to be."

Gabby made her way over to the couch, exchanging greetings with Fran and the kids as Dom moved closer to her.

"I take it RJ's letting Liv and Johnny close up tonight." Dom commented. "Is he sure that's a great idea?"

"What do you mean by that?" Lily asked him. Dom didn't want to act as a killjoy, it wasn't as though he hadn't wrecked the place himself a couple of times when he worked there, but the place looked like it had been hit by a tsunami when Liv and Johnny were finished with their water fight.

"You know you and Casey had that little dish washing incident in the kitchen?" He asked her. "Think of that with a mop bucket."

Lily just laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm sure they'll clean it up, they're good kids." She told him.

"So when are you expecting Liv to come back upstairs?" He asked her. "I presume she is going to be a part of the celebrations." Lily just moved closer to the door, listening.

"23 minutes and 43 seconds." She replied. Dom looked a little confused by the precise time. "She always listens to all the Kira songs on the jukebox when she's cleaning the restaurant."

"So does she know you know her?" Dom asked her. Lily shook her head.

"I think it'll make a good surprise for her birthday to get her some backstage passes." She told him.

"You've got to love the friends you make in this business." He replied, heading back to Gabby's side.

Down in the restaurant, Liv and Johnny were finally finishing up after re-cleaning the entire restaurant following their water fight. Johnny put the mop and bucket away as the last song clicked off.

"So what are you doing for the New Year?" She asked him. Johnny just shrugged.

"I was just going to go to bed." He told her honestly. "Uncle Vinnie's out for the night with his friends. I won't see him until lunch time."

"Well...it's already ten past eleven." She informed him, gesturing to the clock. "If you're in no hurry, you could always stay and celebrate with us."

Johnny didn't know how to respond to this. He would have thought he'd love such an invitation. He loved spending time around JKP and the guys there. Of course, with Liv there, it would complicate the matter.

"I'm not sure..."

"Come on, there's a ton of food up there, RJ's been cooking all day!" She remarked. "If you don't, I'll show everyone your mop dance."

Johnny just rolled his eyes as she took him by the hand, leading him upstairs. RJ looked round as they came in. Johnny went to get changed.

"RJ, I just wanted to ask, is it alright if Johnny stays until the New Year?" She asked him. "He said his Uncle's not going to be home."

RJ considered it for a minute. He didn't want to risk breaking up any family moments, but he knew that Johnny was no liar. If he said his Uncle wasn't going to be home, then he was telling the truth.

"Tell him to call his Uncle's cell." RJ told her. "As long as he lets him know where he'll be, he can stay."

Liv hopped up, hugging RJ tightly, before releasing him. As she was making her way to the room where he was changing, she skidded to a halt by Fran and Theo.

"Mr. Martin, Mrs. Martin, could you spare a minute? I have something I want to talk to you about." She told them. "Meet me in my room in two minutes?"

They both nodded, before looking at each other a little confused. Liv ran into the room where Johnny was getting changed to inform him of the new plans.

Lily came over to RJ, kissing him as Jarrod, Susan and the Masters finally arrived, greeting the others and helping themselves to refreshments.

"Are you sure about what we're going to do?" She asked him. RJ just smiled in response, kissing her gently.

"I think this is going to be the best New Year ever." He replied.

In Liv's room, Fran and Theo were sitting on her bed when she came in, her uniform by now, only slightly damp.

"OK, I know I gave you a Christmas present, but you've both done so much for me." She babbled out, barely breathing between words. She was clearly nervous about whatever she was trying to say. "I'm really really grateful for everything you've done and I wanted to show you how much and..."

"Breathe Liv!" They chorused together, interrupting her. Fran took her hand.

"We were only too happy to help." Fran told her. "You don't need to do anything..."

"I really want to though." Liv interrupted her. She went into one of her drawers, pulling out a small box, and handing it to Fran. She opened it, finding a key inside.

"I don't understand." Theo said, looking to his wife.

"I know you've had a little trouble finding a house, and you've been trying to move out of your apartment since Algie was born." She explained. "That's the key to my house."

Both of them looked at her, completely flabbergasted by the gesture. They knew she was grateful, but this was a whole different level.

"Liv, you can't just give us a house!" Fran stated flatly. "That's yours; it's there to secure your future..."

"My inheritance already secures my future." She reminded them. "I really want you to live there."

"Liv, this is far too much." Theo agreed, taking the key and trying to hand it back to her. "You can't just give us a house."

"I wasn't planning on giving it to you." Liv told them. She took a seat and prepared to explain. "I can't sell it, and I can't rent it out. I'm too young. I can't live there on my own, even if I wanted to."

"Liv..."

"Please, let me finish." She interrupted Fran. "I never want to live there again. The place has far too many horrible memories. I couldn't. The thing is, until I'm 21, it's just no use to me. It would just sit there empty and useless."

"Liv..."

"So what I thought is that you and Mr. Martin could live there as house sitters." She concluded. "You get to stay there rent-free, that way you can save more money for a place of your own. Then, when I get to 21, you get first refusal at the property if you're still living there."

Fran and Theo just looked at each other a little unconvinced. Liv just leaned in, bringing her face close to theirs.

"It has too many memories for me. I'd never live there. All that would happen is that it would sit empty and fall into disrepair, only for me to sell it when I hit 21 at a sucky price." She reasoned as though she was talking about a stereo or other menial possession. "This way someone gets some good use out of it. I know you'll be able to give Algie a good life there."

Fran and Theo looked at each other once more as Liv thrust the key back into Theo's hand.

"You've really thought this through haven't you?" Theo asked her. Liv nodded.

"I spend a lot of time on the internet." She told them. "So what do you say?"

Fran looked to the key in Theo's hand, and back to Liv, before looking at Theo once more. Eventually they both nodded. Fran grabbed Liv, hugging her tightly.

"I can't believe you're doing this for us!" She screamed. "Theo, we have a house!"

A knock came on the door, and Lily poked her head around.

"Liv, are you ready yet?" Lily asked her. "It's only about 20 minutes to go."

"I just had to deal with a surprise." Liv told her. "I just need to get changed."

"What surprise?" Lily asked. Seeing the excitement on Theo and Fran's faces, she could guess that it was pretty big. "On second thoughts, could you save it until after midnight? I'd like to talk to you for a minute in private."

Back out in the main room, with only ten minutes to go until the New Year, everyone's attention was drawn to the door to Liv's room as she let out a scream of excitement which went through the whole building. Her door almost flew off its hinges as she ran into the room, running around in an unexplained hysteria. She stopped by the kids and grabbed David, lifting him up and hugging him warmly. RJ and Lily just came into the room, laughing a little at her reaction.

Johnny watched on, feeling his heart beating faster again. Her joy was overwhelming to watch. She was unlike anything he had ever seen as she bobbed the infant up and down. Rather than being unsettled by this, David actually seemed to be picking up on her happiness and let out a screeching laugh.

"So what's the reason for this insanity?" Michael asked smiling brightly as he watched Liv taking David back to his parents, standing with them and grinning maniacally in her excitement.

"Liv's just heard our news." RJ told them. "Instead of a New Year's resolution, this year, we've decided on more of a gift."

"We've spoken to our attorneys recently, and we made some enquiries." Lily continued, putting her arm around Liv. RJ did likewise. "Since Liv wanted to take our family name, and be a part of this family, we just thought we'd take the next step and make it official."

"We're going to start legal proceedings to adopt Liv." RJ announced. The others all cheered and surrounded Liv.

Johnny made his way over, giving the polite handshakes as they did this, but he couldn't help feeling a little sadness in him. Now there was no doubt that what he felt for her would never work. If RJ was protective of her now, what was he going to be like if she was legally his daughter?

"Hey guys, it's the count down!" Casey announced, bringing their attention to the monitor.

"8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1...Happy New Year!" They all chorused together. Johnny though, remained uncomfortably quiet. What was so great about New Year?


	121. The New Term

Gabby was sitting on a chair outside an examination room, waiting for the specialist to come and check on her. Dom had come with her for support, knowing how frustrated she was becoming, waiting to heal properly. She was fidgeting uncontrollably.

"Would you sit still for a minute?" Dom teased her.

"I just hate waiting." She told him. "How much longer are they going to make us wait?"

Just then, a doctor came out of the room, smiling at her warmly.

"Ms. Wallace, we're ready for you now." He told her. Gabby grabbed her crutches as Dom came to her side, helping her stand. "If you'd just like to come this way, we'll just get the cast off and have a look."

Dom accompanied her into the room, helping her up onto a bed in the centre of the room. Gabby turned, lying back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"This always looks scarier than it is." The doctor assured her, stepping into view with an electrical cutting tool. Dom felt Gabby's grip on his hand tightening a little. "I swear it won't hurt you."

Over at the school, Johnny was just getting back into his classes after the holidays. He had worked hard to keep things fresh in his mind while they were on holiday. Having struggled for so long with his studies before Fran and Liv started helping him, he was now enjoying being ahead in his studies for once. His grade point average had risen dramatically, and he was now beginning to think of his future. While he had for a while thought that his future seemed to be doomed to dropping out and working in the wrecker's yard with his uncle, now he actually believed he had options. He was enjoying his shifts in JKP, and RJ had started letting him back into the kitchen again.

As he arrived at his locker, he found his wrestling coach waiting for him.

"Mancusso, did you have a good holiday?" He asked him.

"Not bad." He replied with a shrug.

"Well I hope you didn't overdo it on the treats. I need you to make a weigh in." The coach told him matter-of-factly. "We're competing with Reefside in a couple of weeks."

"Actually, there was a little something I wanted to talk to you about." Johnny told him. "I was thinking of quitting the team."

The coach looked a little confused. Johnny had been a real prospect on the team. Indeed, he was the only freshman to make it onto the team. His massive size and strength made him a natural.

"You want to quit?" The coach asked him. "Why? Is this about that hassle with Mike and his friends?"

"I can't deny that's all been more hassle than it was worth, but that isn't it." Johnny told him. "I've been working hard to get my grades up..."

"What about the school?" The coach asked him. "Are you just going to turn your back on the team?"

"Coach Andrews, I don't mean to be rude or seem ungrateful, but I'm really trying to change." Johnny told him. "I'm thinking about applying to colleges."

"A good season of wrestling could help with that." The coach continued. "You could get a scholarship..."

"I don't think that'll help me." Johnny interrupted him. "I was thinking of applying to catering college."

"You want to cook?" He asked him. "Do you really think that's any kind of career?"

"It works for RJ." Johnny stated defensively. "Look, I'm sorry if you're disappointed..."

The coach just turned his back on him and walked away, shaking his head in disgust. Johnny knew that the meet was a big deal. The faculty always made a fuss about competing with other schools. A lot of funding came to them through parents and businesses sponsoring the events. Liv came up the corridor at that point, looking at the coach curiously.

"What was that all about?" Liv asked him. "He really doesn't look happy."

"I just told him I was quitting the wrestling team." Johnny informed her. Liv looked at him a little surprised.

"I thought you loved wrestling." She commented. "Is this because of Mike?"

"I'm not scared of Mike." He insisted harshly. "I just want to concentrate on my studies."

"Are you sure about this?" She asked him. "I mean..."

"Since RJ started training me and took me under his wing, I've found myself wanting different things from life." He told her. "I just kind of feel like that's the old me, and I'm not sure I want to hang onto that anymore."

"Johnny, you're doing so well with your studies." She reminded him. "Before Mrs. Martin started helping you, you were on a C- average. Now you're up to a B."

"But I can do better, I know I can." He replied. Liv smiled at him. It was the same smile he'd fallen for over his time working with her. He would do pretty much anything to see that smile from her.

"I've never heard you talking like that before." She remarked happily, her voice indicating a note of pride in him. "I like it."

"I made a promise to myself, kind of a New Year's resolution." He told her. "I'm up to a B average. I want a B+".

"Well I'm sure you'll get it." She responded. "Come on, let's get to class."

With that, he followed her down the hall towards their first class.

Back at the hospital, the doctor was checking over Gabby's leg while they waited for the machine to produce her X-ray. He was holding her leg gently, moving it gingerly to assess the movement. Gabby didn't complain, but her face told the story of her pain. She sucked her teeth as he straightened out her leg, resting it back on the table.

"Here's the X-ray doctor." A nurse declared as she entered the room. Gabby held Dom's hand as the doctor inspected the X-ray thoughtfully.

"Is everything alright?" She asked him. The doctor showed her the X-ray.

"The bone's knitting well as expected." He told her. "However, there is another complication."

"Complication?" she asked him nervously. "What complication?"

"You felt some discomfort when I was moving your leg didn't you?" He asked her. Gabby wanted to deny it, but Dom gave her a glare and shook his head. All he wanted was for her to get better. She needed to be honest.

"It was a little uncomfortable." She told him. "It hurt a little, and it feels a bit stiff..."

"I'm afraid there's been some muscle wastage because your leg's been immobilised for so long." He told her. "You'll need to wear a cast for another month at least, but it looks like you'll need extensive physiotherapy."

"How extensive?" Gabby asked him. The doctor shook his head sadly.

"There's really no way to tell. It could take a few weeks, it may take months." He told her. "It really all depends how much the muscles have wasted, and how your body responds to the therapy."

"I've already missed a month and a half of uni." She shrieked. "If I'm out for another month I'll have to drop out!"

"I'm afraid that injuries of this nature are their own masters." He said regretfully. "There's no way you can rush this."

"Dom!"

"Gabby, calm down." Dom said as comfortingly as he could under the circumstances. "The worst case scenario is you go back next year."

"I worked so hard!" She moaned as the nurse started to get supplies together to re-apply her cast. "I can't believe it was all for nothing!"

"Gabby, I'm not going anywhere." Dom assured her. "So what if it takes another year for you to start your degree? All I care about is you."

He smiled at her as he kissed her forehead softly.

"Look on the bright side. It gives you longer to get ready for the wedding." He told her. "I'm sure you'd rather walk down the aisle than hobble there."

"I guess so." She grumbled. "I'm just bummed I'm going to have to drop out."

"I'll support you no matter what happens." He replied. "You just concentrate on relaxing and healing that leg."

Back at the school, Johnny and Liv made their way to Dr. Jenning's class, finding unusually that he was nowhere to be found. They made their way inside, followed by the other students, but they still couldn't find any sign of him.

"Where do you think Dr. Jennings could be?" Liv asked him. Johnny shrugged, but as he turned to the front of the class, he could see a pile of books on his desk, and some page numbers written up on the black board.

"I guess he's running late." Johnny commented. "He seems to have written up the assignments."

"It's a bit odd though." Liv commented. "When have you ever known him to skip a class?"

"Maybe he had something important to do." Johnny suggested.

"I guess." Liv replied, taking a book from his desk. "Anyway, we may as well get started. At least there'll be no English homework tonight."

Over at JKP, Jarrod came into the apartment, finding RJ and Lily hard at work sparring. Now that the school holidays had ended, there was no call for the restaurant to be open before lunch time, and so they were taking the opportunity to catch up on some training.

Lily spun a little way from her husband, swinging a replica of the Jungle Mace in wide arcs. RJ dodged around the first of her attacks, rushing forward and attempting to take advantage, swinging an elbow towards her head. Lily blocked it with the chain, before wrapping it around his wrist, shifting her body weight sharply and flipping him over her shoulder onto the floor. David let out a happy little yelp and started clapping.

"It looks like someone has a fan." Jarrod commented. "Nice move Lily."

"Thanks." She replied with a warm smile, picking up a towel and wiping herself down. "It's been a long time since I had a work out that intense."

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Jarrod asked RJ. "Why did you invite me here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you for a little while about Liv and Johnny." He told him. "They know about us."

"RJ revealed himself when Fran was giving birth." Lily explained. "We've told them everything."

"OK, I guess I was expecting that sooner or later." Jarrod commented. "I guess if you're adopting Liv, you'd have to tell her sooner or later."

"Anyway, they're really coming along well in their training." RJ told him. "I'm actually considering trying to help them find their animal spirits."

"We know you're the Temple Master, so we wanted to let you know." Lily told him. "We know you'd prefer it if we sent them to the temple, but we'd really like to train them here."

"Johnny's uncle still doesn't know anything." RJ explained. "And Liv's just started to get settled here. We really don't want to uproot her now."

"Well I do have kind of a lot of students." Jarrod conceded with a shrug. "Thanks for letting me know. It's fine with me if you want to start training them here."

"Thanks Jarrod." RJ replied. "It really means a lot to us to do this."

"Well she is going to be your daughter. I understand." Jarrod told them. "Good luck with the training."

Later in the day, Johnny was wandering through the halls, having finished his morning classes. Liv came up behind him, prodding him in the ribs to attract his attention.

"Are you coming over tonight?" She asked him. Johnny looked at her a little oddly.

"Um...I'm not on shift tonight." He reminded her. "Our next lesson is tomorrow."

"Oh..." She replied, drawing some hair out of her face behind her ear. "Well...um...you could always just come over and study or something."

Johnny thought about it for a moment. He wanted to say yes, to come over and spend more time with her, but it was becoming hard enough to be around her.

"Sorry, but I kind of promised Uncle Vinnie I'd be home early tonight." He lied. Liv felt a little disappointment creeping in.

"Oh...well...that's alright." She told him, shifting a little nervously from one foot to the other. "We can study anytime and..."

Just then, they heard a crash coming from a little way off. Johnny and Liv looked at each other.

"That came from Dr. Jenning's classroom." Liv stated as they made their way over. Johnny knocked on the door gently, before opening it, finding Dr. Jennings' desk overturned, and papers scattered everywhere. Johnny came in, approaching him slowly.

"Dr. Jennings?" He asked him. Dr. Jennings looked up through bloodshot eyes, and smiled dreamily. His cheeks were red.

"Mr. Mancusssssooo!" He roared. "How are you my boy?"

"Is he...?" Liv asked Johnny. He nodded.

"He's completely wasted." Johnny confirmed. "I can smell it from here."

"Dr. Jennings, I can't believe you're drinking." Liv gasped. "It's the middle o the day..."

"We have to get him out of here." Johnny told her. "If Ms. Tenant finds him like this he'll be canned for sure!"

Johnny knelt down by Dr. Jennings and looked into his eyes, smiling as he tried to reason with him.

"Dr. Jennings, we're going to take you home." He informed the old teacher.

"But...the day isn't finished." He reminded them. "You still have lessons this afternoon!"

"It's alright, this is more important." Johnny told him. He put one of Dr. Jennings' arms around his shoulders and helped him to his feet. "Liv, could you clean things up here? If we get this mess straightened out and get him home, maybe Ms. Tenant won't find out."

As he left, Liv started to clear up the room. As she watched him go, checking the coast was clear before disappearing down the hall, she couldn't help thinking about how much he had changed in the time she had known him. As soon as he had found Dr. Jennings, his first thought had been to help him. He had done so much to help her during the time she had been sucked in by Mike. Even when she had berated him and accused him of being jealous of them, he never gave up on trying to help her see what he was really like. She couldn't help smiling as she thought about him.

Johnny came back into the room a second later with Dr. Jennings.

"I thought you were..." Her words tailed off and her heart raced as she saw the pained expression on Johnny's face. He set Dr. Jennings down on his chair by his desk as Ms. Tenant came into the room, locking the door behind her.

"Ms. Jenkins. Why am I not surprised to see you're involved in this?" She asked sarcastically. Liv got to her feet slowly.

"It's Ms. James now actually." She reminded the headmistress. She smirked a little as she heard this defiance from Liv.

"Dr. Jennings. You are aware that the school has a very strict policy on drinking on school property." She told him, taking his flask of coffee and sniffing it. "I'm sure the education board will take a very dim view of this."

"Ms. Tenant..."

"You and Mr. Mancusso are both on detention after school for the next month Ms. James!" Ms. Tenant interrupted her sharply before turning to the young student. "You are both late for class, and you didn't report this matter to me."

"Ms. Tenant, we were only trying to help." Johnny pleaded with her. "If you just let us take him home..."

"He's going home alright." Ms. Tenant stated flatly. "Get a box and clear your desk Dr. Jennings. You're suspended pending an investigation, but something tells me that will just be a formality."

Dr. Jennings just leant over, picking up one book, the only personal item he had in his classroom, and got up from his chair, beginning to head towards the door.

"I'd love to say it's been a pleasure." He slurred drunkenly. "But you and I both know that would be a lie."

With that, he staggered from the room. Ms. Tennant turned back to Johnny and Liv, her face cold and harsh.

"You both still have a class to attend." She reminded them. "I'll contact your guardians about this."

Liv just hung her head and left the room, trying to imagine how she was going to explain to Lily and RJ how she had managed to get a detention on the first day of the new term. She hated to disappoint them, especially now when they were beginning the paperwork to adopt her officially. Nothing could hurt her more than to see the look of disappointment in their faces that she had seen the night she was brought home from the Cherry Harvest.

Ms. Tenant sneered at Johnny as she saw him still in the room.

"Do you have something to add Mr. Mancusso?" She asked him. Johnny fought every instinct in his body to tell her exactly what he thought of her. He shook his head. "Then get to class."

Johnny just left the room, his jaw clenched tightly as he went. He hated the fact that he was in trouble once more. He didn't try to cause trouble. He was really trying to do the right thing now. When he had found Dr. Jennings, he wanted to help him, to prevent him from losing his job. Like Fran, he was one of the teachers who believed in him and helped him. Now though, it looked like a pretty open and shut case. He had been found with alcohol on school grounds. He was clearly drunk when Ms. Tenant found him. It didn't seem like there was any hope the disciplinary board would rule in his favour.

Arriving in the locker room for gym class, his last class of the day, the coach was in his office. He watched Johnny come in.

"I know you quit the team, but you still need to show up to the class on time." He snapped. "Don't bother getting changed quitter. You're riding the pine."

As he left, Johnny just threw his bag into the corner in frustration and sat on a bench, running his hands through his hair. He had failed to help Dr. Jennings, and as a result, he had ended up in trouble again. He wasn't looking forward to going home, but more than anything, he wasn't looking forward to telling RJ.


	122. Relapse

Liv made her way home slowly, chewing her fingernails nervously at the end of the school day. More than what had happened, what worried her was the fact that Ms. Tenant had told her she would phone Lily and RJ.

As soon as she got into the restaurant, seeing RJ in full swing, she knew that Ms. Tenant had kept her word. As soon as he saw her, his usual bright smile disappeared, and his face fell. He came over to her, extending a hand.

"RJ, I can explain..."

"Give me your bag and go upstairs." He instructed her. Liv hated to see him like this. All she wanted was to talk to him, to explain what had happened at the school. "Now Liv."

Reluctantly, she handed him her bag and did as she was told. It wasn't like it was with her father. She knew they wouldn't hit her, or hurt her physically, but feeling their disappointment was almost worse.

As she arrived upstairs, she noticed that Lily was sitting by the main table. David wasn't in the room, his crib having been moved from there. Obviously Lily had no intention of yelling at her in front of her son.

"Sit down Liv." Lily said quietly. Her tone said so much about how she was feeling. There was no anger in her voice. No savage intent to hurt. All she could hear was sadness. Liv sat down slowly. "What happened?"

"Dr. Jennings wasn't in our class." Liv told her. "He just left an assignment on the board, but later in the day, Johnny and I found him in his classroom."

"You found him in his classroom drunk?" Lily asked her. Liv nodded in response.

"Johnny tried to take him home before anyone found him." Liv told her. "We were just trying to help..."

"He was drunk at school!" Lily reminded her. "He was responsible for all of you kids, but he blew off his class to get wasted!"

"Dr. Jennings is a good person!" Liv told her. "I don't know why he was drinking at school, and I know he shouldn't have done it, but we didn't want him to lose his job for one mistake!"

"Liv, I know you thought you were helping..."

"He's one of the best teachers at that school! Even completely shit-faced he'd be a better influence on kids than Ms. Tenant!" Liv protested. "He's done so much for the kids there. He helped Johnny so much, maybe he deserves a break!"

"Liv, I don't know the facts, but if he's drinking at school, maybe he has a problem." Lily suggested. She reached across touching her shoulder softly. "Maybe the best thing for him would be to have his problem brought into the open. Now he can get help."

"He's going to lose his job!" Liv replied a little more harshly than she intended to. Lily looked a little taken aback. "It's more than just a job for him, he loves teaching! If they take that away for him, what does he have to live for? How's that going to encourage him to stop drinking?"

"Liv..."

"I'm serious mom; I really think this is wrong!" Liv interrupted her. Lily was caught completely by surprise by what she had said. It took her breath away to hear Liv call her that. She couldn't concentrate. "We need to help him."

"We'll do whatever we can." Lily whispered. "Go and get cleaned up and get David. Dinner's going to be in a little while."

As Liv left, her head hung in shame, Lily held her head in her hands. She hated having to talk to Liv like this. RJ came in, putting his arm around her.

"How was it?" He asked her. Lily shook her head sadly.

"I didn't get too far with her." She replied. "She was trying to help him."

"He was drunk while he was meant to be taking care of the kids." RJ told her.

"I just don't feel comfortable punishing her for trying to help." Lily responded honestly. "I know they screwed up, but their hearts were in the right place."

"Lily..."

"The school's already given them detention for a month. Don't you think that's enough?" Lily asked him. RJ looked to her and smiled, nodding gently.

"I guess we can let it slide." RJ told her. "I suppose it wasn't the worst thing they could have done."

"Something else happened." Lily added, finding herself smiling a little. "She called me mom."

RJ wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her tightly. He knew how much it meant to her to have Liv think of her like that. They were adopting her, but that just made all the difference.

In their new house, Fran was in the kitchen, trying to prepare the dinner. Liv's old house was far larger than their old apartment, and so it just showed up how meagre all their possessions had been. More than anything else, Fran was finding a big problem. She couldn't find anything. Her new kitchen had so much more cupboard space than her old apartment that everything was spread out.

"Where is that bloody wok?" She muttered under her breath as she started pulling pots and pans out of a cupboard. Algie started to grumble from his seat. "Are you hungry again? Where do you put it all?"

She went over to him, plucking him out of his stroller. She couldn't help smiling as she looked at him.

"It's alright Algie; I'll feed you in a little while." She assured him. Just then, the phone rang. Fran furrowed her brows. "I really need to register with call preference. It's probably another telemarketer."

As she answered the phone, she hefted Algie a little, adjusting him to a slightly more comfortable position.

"Who's calling?" Fran asked in a slight sigh, a little annoyed at being disturbed.

"Mrs. Martin, this is Ms. Tenant. I'm sorry to disturb you during your maternity leave." Her headmistress began. Fran rolled her eyes as she heard this. She hated Ms. Tenant, most of the staff and students did. Her apology was likely far from sincere. "I don't know if you heard about the unfortunate incident that occurred today."

"No." She replied.

"Dr. Jennings has been suspended." She informed Fran. The former Fox Ranger fumbled the phone a little hearing this. She knew that Ms. Tenant didn't like him, but she had no idea that he had been let go. "We were wondering if you wouldn't mind coming back from maternity leave a little early."

"Dr. Jennings has been suspended?" Fran asked her. "Why?"

"He was found to be drunk on school property." Ms. Tenant informed Fran. She just bit her lip in frustration. She knew about his drinking problem. She had covered for him when she found out about it, but he promised her he would stop drinking. Hearing this was like a knife to her heart. He had betrayed her trust. She felt anger burning in her chest, not just because he had lied to her about quitting drinking, but also because Ms. Tenant's voice seemed to contain a sick joy in it. She could almost imagine that this was probably a dream come true for her. "He had alcohol on the premises."

"You want me to come back and teach his classes?" Fran asked her.

"It would only be on a temporary basis." Ms. Tenant assured her. "You would, of course, be compensated for the time you've lost once a permanent replacement can be found..."

"Wait a minute. I thought you said he was only suspended!" Fran responded.

"I think we both know that's only a formality Mrs. Martin." Ms. Tenant said with all the compassion of a vulture. "Will you come back?"

"I'll need to arrange some childcare, and make sure my son will be fed, but I guess I can manage that." She responded. "I'll be there tomorrow."

As she hung up, she looked to Algie regretfully. She really did want to spend more time with him before she went back to work, but she was aware that Ms. Tenant wasn't a huge fan of hers. She was certain that turning down the offer to come back as a substitute would only give her an excuse to suggest not bringing her back at all. She certainly wouldn't have any opportunity to secure tenure for a permanent position.

Just then, the door opened, and she felt her heart sinking. Theo had just come home from his shift at the Rock Porium. She had made the decision without even consulting him. She knew that she likely only had that one opportunity to make her decision, but that didn't mean that telling Theo would be easy.

"Hey there." He greeted her, kissing her cheek as he came in. He then kissed the top of Algie's head and smiled at him. "I see you're still having trouble finding everything."

Fran didn't answer. Being unable to find the wok was bound to be the least of her worries once she told Theo what had happened.

"Theo, we really need to talk." She told him, handing Algie over as she tried to brace herself to explain what was going on. "Ms. Tenant just phoned. Dr. Jennings was suspended today."

"He was suspended?" Theo asked her, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Why?"

"He was found drunk in his classroom." Fran told him. Theo put his arm around her. "He promised me he'd stop. I can't believe..."

"Wait, are you saying he's done this before?" He asked her, stroking her shoulders softly. She nodded her head regretfully.

"He's an alcoholic." Fran informed him. "I found out not long after I started at the school."

"Fran, I'm sorry..."

"He meant so much to me; I couldn't believe he was like that." Fran explained sadly, a tear rolling down her face as she thought about it. "I couldn't tell Ms. Tenant. I had to try and help him!"

"Fran, I know how much this has to hurt you." Theo said sympathetically. He knew that both her parents had been alcoholics, one of the reasons they abused her so horribly throughout her formative years. He knew watching another person she loved going through addiction to drink. "Maybe this is just what he needs. They say a lot of people have to hit rock bottom..."

"How is this going to help him Theo?" She asked him. "Dr. Jennings is divorced! He doesn't have any kids; he doesn't have any family here. His job was the only thing he had! He loved that job. If they take that away from him, it'll kill him!"

"Fran, you can't keep covering for him." He told her. "It's clear he needs help."

"He does." She murmured. "I'll call Gabby's dad in the morning from the school. Maybe his lawyers can..."

"Whoa, back up there five paces." Theo interrupted her. "Did you say from the school?"

Fran looked at him a little sheepishly, realising she had blurted out that part of the whole situation.

"Theo, she called me to ask if I could go back as a temp to cover his classes." Fran informed him. She bit her fingernails as she tried to find the strength to continue. "I told her I'd be back tomorrow."

"Fran...!"

"Theo, you don't understand! Ms. Tenant already hates me!" She shrieked. "If I didn't come through for the school, she'd have taken the excuse not to renew my contract. Never mind tenure, I'd never be able to go back!"

"You're on maternity leave!" He reminded her sharply. Algie started to protest as his daddy started to frighten him. "What about Algie?"

"We were always going to put him with a sitter when I went back." She replied. "I guess I just have to find a sitter a little earlier. I can call the guys and see if one of them can take him tomorrow. I can arrange another sitter during the day."

"You're actually going back?" He asked her. "You're rating your job over our son?"

"That was so far out of line Theo!" She roared. By now Algie was screaming his head off. He had picked up on the fact his parents were fighting, and it terrified him. "I love Algie, you know I do!"

She wiped some tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. By now, the dinner was the furthest thing from her mind.

"Algie's upset. Put him down for the night and then call in a pizza for dinner." She instructed him. "Don't bother with one for me. I'm not hungry."

"Where are you going?" Theo asked her as she stormed to the front door. Fran paused for a second and glared at him with a rage in her eyes that he hadn't seen in her for a long time, and certainly never directed at him. He knew then how much he had hurt her.

"I'm going for a walk before I say something I'll regret." She informed him. "Don't wait up."

With that, she slammed the door, leaving Theo holding the baby. He started rocking the baby, trying to calm him. He kissed the boy softly.

"I'm really sorry about that little guy." He whispered softly. "Your daddy's blown it big this time."

He hated to think that he had hurt Fran. He knew she was upset already about the situation with Dr. Jennings, but unfortunately rather than supporting her; he had turned on her, and even accused her of not caring about her son. He didn't know how he was going to make that up to her.

Dr. Jennings had fallen asleep on his couch after going home. He was ripped from his sleep as someone started pounding on the door loudly, as though threatening to take the door off its hinges.

As he went to the door, the entire door frame was shaking. He could hear a couple of raised voices outside, one in particular that he recognised. He knew he would have to face Fran sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, finding her screaming at one of the neighbours who had obviously objected to the racket she was making.

"Yeah, same to you asshole!" She screamed at him. "Try minding your own God Damned business!"

"Fran, please come..." She brushed past him, making her way into the living room, and ripped off her jacket throwing it down angrily.

"You promised me you'd stopped!" She screamed at him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Fran, please..."

"I covered your ass when I found out!" She interrupted him. "I said I'd keep it to myself if you got help, and you went behind my back!"

"Fran, please, you've got to believe me, with the exception of this morning, I've not touched a drop since I made that promise to you, I swear!" He told her, sitting on his couch. He held his head in his hands regretfully. "I've been going to AA meetings every week. I've been keeping in contact with my sponsor, I've..."

"How can I believe a word you say?" Fran asked him. "I know what it's like. I remember what it did to mom and dad. I can't trust you anymore!"

"I know this hurt you Fran, but I need you to believe me, I didn't lie to you." He begged her passionately. Her opinion of him meant a lot to him. He couldn't bear to see her disappointed in him. "I swear it on Al..."

Fran slapped him, stopping him from saying it.

"Don't you dare use my son like that!" She hissed angrily. "Lie to me if you must. I'm used to it by now, but don't dare swear on my son!"

"Then I'll swear it by something else." He told her. Fran rolled her eyes, and stood with her hands on her hips as he reached over the edge of the couch. He pulled out a brown paper bag and put it on the table. He reached in and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels, putting it on the table. "I bought this at the liquor store on my way home. After what happened, after getting the taste of whisky again, all I wanted to do was tear it open and drink it. All I wanted to do was drink and forget what happened."

Fran picked up the bottle, inspecting it.

"The seal hasn't been broken." She whispered, looking back to him. "You haven't opened it."

"I wanted to, I really did, but I didn't." He told her. "It took all the strength I have, but I just called my sponsor and told him what happened. I couldn't fail you again. Not deliberately."

"Deliberately?" Fran asked him. Dr. Jennings just nodded.

"I know you'll find it hard to believe me, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't but I didn't put that whiskey in my coffee flask." He told her. "I don't know who did it, or why, but someone put it in there. They knew it would set me off."

Fran let up a little. She was sceptical, but she could tell from his passion that he was really trying to appease her. Fran handed him the bottle of Jack.

"Last time I did it for you." She told him. "If you want to swear by anything, if you want me to believe you, then pour it out."

Dr. Jennings took the bottle through to the kitchen, being followed by Fran. He twisted the top off, pausing for a second. Fran could see that he was conflicted. As a result of his addiction, he was tempted, but looking back to Fran, he got the strength he needed. He couldn't lose her from his life. He overturned the bottle, pouring the whole thing down the sink.

"I'll help you however I can." Fran assured him. "I'm proud of you."

"You have no idea how much that means to me." He replied. "Thank you for sticking by me."

Fran didn't answer, instead, drawing him in and hugging him tightly. She hated how things had gone with Theo, and she knew that they would have to talk eventually, but at least one thing had put her mind at ease. She was now convinced that he was really trying to change. Now all she had to worry about was how to help him long-term.


	123. First Day Back

The next morning, Theo woke up, feeling a little stiffness in his neck. After Fran came home, he had tried to apologise for his careless words, but it was already late, and she wasn't ready to get into the issue. She had explained what had happened with Dr. Jennings, and had asked that they postpone the inevitable argument until after her shift at the school. As a result, he had ended up spending the night on the couch.

As he made his way into the kitchen to start getting ready for breakfast, he heard Fran moving to see to Algie before she got ready for the day ahead, just as she had done every day since he had come home from the hospital. His heart sank as she thought about the attentive care she took of her son. It all brought back his careless words the night before.

He hadn't meant to accuse her of not caring for their son. He knew that was the furthest thing from the truth there could be. Fran had always loved kids, and from the moment they started to get serious, he knew that her deepest wish was to have children of her own. To have a family like she had never experienced during her own childhood. The most devastating blow to her had been when the doctors had told her she might never be able to have what every other young couple took for granted. The day they had found out they were expecting Algie was better for both of them, even than their wedding. Her joy spilled over into one of the most amazing mornings they'd ever spent together.

He knew how much she admired and respected Dr. Jennings, and so he knew how much it had to hurt her to watch him destroy himself the way her parents had. He didn't want her to get too deeply involved, to expose herself to the heartache if her faith in him was slowly and painfully crushed by the reality that the first impression, that he had indeed just succumbed to his addiction. When he had heard that she planned not just to go back to school early from her maternity leave, but that she indeed had agreed to go the following morning, it was too much. He had lashed out, tried to get her to reconsider and stay out of it. When he explained that she was worried about her job, he had blurted out the first thing that came to his mind before he thought about it. It was the biggest mistake he had made in their relationship.

As he put some toast into the toaster and started up the coffee machine, Fran came into the room carrying Algie. She hadn't really had time to sort out a suit, since she wasn't expecting to go back to school for a good couple of weeks yet, and so had to settle for a pair of jeans, and the neatest dark blue blouse she could find under the circumstances.

"Fran..."

"I'm sorry Theo; I really need to get going. I didn't have time to sort out a lesson plan last night." Fran interrupted him, handing Algie to him, as she went into the fridge for some OJ, pouring herself a glass and downing it in one quick slug. "If I get there before first period, I can find Dr. Jennings' notes and throw something together."

"Fran can..."

"You're working at the gym today, so Camille should be able to take Algie for today." She reminded him as she grabbed her bag. "I'll grab something on the way..."

"Fran, we need to talk about this!" He blurted out. Fran just paused by the door. "Please."

She rolled her head back, looking up to the ceiling. She let out a long sigh as she tried to gather her thoughts. His words had hurt her deeply. At a time when she was looking for support, he had responded only by throwing out accusations that she was putting her mentor and her job over her own family. That said, she loved Theo and she knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her intentionally. This distance between them was killing her as much as it was him.

"We'll talk tonight." She told him. "After school, I promise."

With that, she went out the door, leaving Theo holding their son. He wasn't looking forward to making things up to her. He knew there was a lot for her to forgive, but at least they could make a start.

Liv arrived at the school, finding Johnny already there, getting books out of his locker. She approached him slowly as he was looking out his books for the morning. She crept up on him, jabbing him in the ribs.

"Hey there..."

"Son of a bitch!" Johnny roared as he stood up quickly, smacking his head on the top of the locker. He turned around, finding Liv standing behind him looking guilty. He hated to see her like that and just smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Hi." He greeted her.

"Sorry about that. Are you alright?" She asked him. Johnny just nodded.

"I only hit my head." He replied in a casual laugh. "There's nothing up there to damage."

"I would agree with that assessment." Ms. Tenant said coldly as she arrived. "I presume both of you remember your detention this afternoon."

"I'm looking forward to it." Liv said, a slight note of sarcasm in her voice. Johnny had to try hard not to laugh. Ms. Tenant seemed not to be amused though.

"I hear you two have been spending a lot of time together." She said coldly. "You were a bright girl Ms. James, but I'm noticing a new attitude. You may want to revise who you spend time with."

She turned to Johnny, looking him up and down, adjusting her glasses.

"I hear you quit the wrestling team." She told him. "Don't think a few raised grades fools me. I know it won't be long until we all see you back to your old ways. When that happens, all I'll say is I hope you enjoy that job you have. You'll be flipping pizzas for a long time if you don't end up in jail."

At that, she turned and left the area, heading down the hall with an air of self-satisfaction. Liv just came to Johnny's side.

"Don't listen to her." She whispered.

"I never did." Johnny replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. Liv felt good at the warmth of his touch. She smiled as she looked up at him, seeing him smirking. "I guess we should feel happy she ended up a headmistress and not chief of justice."

"Something tells me the prisons would have a lot less inmates." Liv commented.

"But the electricity bill would be a lot higher." Johnny sniggered. "All those executions."

With that, they made their way down the hall to their first class, finding Fran at Dr. Jennings' desk, talking with Ms. Tenant, though her expression told the story. It seemed like she liked Ms. Tenant about as much as everyone else did.

"I applaud your commitment to the school Mrs. Martin, however I merely think you should try to dress a little more appropriately." She told her. "Good luck."

Fran took off her glasses, stroking the bridge of her nose as the kids filed in.

"Please just sit down class." She instructed them, putting her glasses back on. "Fortunately the lesson plans were already prepared for today, so if you could turn..."

"Where's Dr. Jennings?" One of the freshmen asked her. "He wasn't here yesterday."

"Please, could we just..."

"I heard he was kicked out." Another chipped in. "I heard he was fired..."

"Class, you're here to learn, not engage in idle speculation about Dr. Jennings." Fran interrupted them flatly. Johnny and Liv looked slightly upset. Of the class, only they knew the truth. It was understandable that there was a bit of a buzz around things.

"Why did you come back miss?" A girl at the front of the class asked. "I thought you were off for a little while longer."

"I was needed to fill in." Fran told her. "Now if..."

"So something did happen to Dr. Jennings!" The girl called out, pointing at her.

"I heard he was found passed out..."

Fran interrupted this latest rumour by slamming her book shut, and slamming it down on the desk. The class jumped at the gesture.

"Alright, that's enough of the rumours!" She snapped. "Just so there's no more speculation, Dr. Jennings is taking some time off for a personal matter. I came back to cover. Any other details are nobody's business but his. Is that understood?" The class just nodded.

"Now if that's everything, can we get back to the lesson?" She asked the class. Again they all nodded. "Then turn to chapter 15. Johnny, would you like to start reading please?"

Over at Casey's gym, Theo was just cleaning some equipment when Casey came over to him. He noticed him stroking his neck gingerly as he straightened up.

"Is there something wrong?" Casey asked him. "You know Camille doesn't mind watching Algie, but you've been missing a step all day."

"I'm a little sore." Theo told him. "I spent the night on the couch last night."

"What happened?" Casey asked him, taking a seat on the weight bench next to him. Theo joined him, looking to the floor sadly.

"You know Fran went back to the school today?" Theo asked him. Casey nodded. Theo had already explained that she had gone back to work sooner than expected. "She's covering for Dr. Jennings. He got suspended."

"What for?" Casey asked him. Theo shook his head regretfully.

"He was found drunk in his classroom." He explained. "He's an alcoholic. Fran tried to help him, but it seems he had a relapse."

"That's awful." Casey whispered, understanding why this business would upset the former Fox Ranger. "But what does that have to do with...?"

"When she agreed to go back, I didn't want her to go." He told him. "I tried to talk her out of it. I didn't want her to get involved; I know how much this could hurt her. I just, I didn't think things through and I said some things I shouldn't have."

"Like what?" Casey asked him.

"I accused her of choosing her job over Algie." Theo sighed regretfully. Casey sucked his teeth. "I didn't mean it, it just slipped out."

"No wonder she's pissed." Casey commented.

"I was supposed to be the brains of the team." Theo commented. "I know it isn't true. I know that me and Algie will always come first with her. I was just trying..."

"Theo, you have to know what that did to her." Casey interjected sagely, putting his arm around him. "She was hurt and angry and confused. She was looking for support and..."

"And the man who's meant to love and support her unconditionally attacked her." Theo completed his statement. "I get it Casey, I screwed up. I screwed up really badly."

"Theo, I can't tell you this'll go away easily. What you did was pretty big." Casey said sympathetically. "Are you going to talk to her?"

"She agreed to talk to me tonight." Theo replied quietly.

"Well that's a start." Casey assured him.

"Of course I'll apologise, and of course I'll try to make amends, but I'm still worried." Theo admitted. "She could be so hurt by all of this. I want to support her. I'm just worried about what could happen. I'm worried I might have hurt her too much."

"Well I wouldn't worry about that too much." Casey told him.

"You really think she could forgive me?" Theo asked him.

"She asked you to sleep on the couch." Casey reminded him with a shrug. "She could have put you out of the house."

Back at the school, Johnny and Liv were making their way to lunch when they stopped by Ms. Tenant's office to find out which classroom they'd be going to for their detention that day.

Johnny knocked on the door, before opening it, finding Mike in her office, putting something into his bag. Ms. Tenant looked up at the door grumpily.

"Did I tell you to come in Mr. Mancusso?" Ms. Tenant asked him.

"Sorry, we were just here to find out where detention was this afternoon." He replied. Mike snorted back a laugh at his expense.

"You're in detention again? You really need to learn how to behave Mancusso." He taunted him. "Liv? It's unfortunate to see you here. You must be hanging around with a bad crowd."

"I hung with someone that was a bad influence." She told him. "Everyone's allowed one bad choice." He smirked at the reference to their short-lived relationship. Ms. Tenant interrupted them with a cough.

"I believe that's lunch time." She told him. Mike just saluted before turning and leaving with a smile. Ms. Tenant reached into her desk, pulling out a piece of paper and writing down a class number.

"Coach Andrews is overseeing detention today." She told them. "He's taking the wrestling team, but don't make any mistake, he will check in on you. If you sneak out, we will know."

"We'll be there." Johnny assured her. He and Liv left the office, leaving her to her work. Liv tugged on his sleeve a little.

"Did you notice anything odd?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"Mike being a jerk? Ms. Tenant acting like...?"

"No, Mike was in her office." She told him. "What was he doing there?"

"Maybe he had detention too." Johnny suggested. Liv looked unconvinced.

"Why was he smiling then?" She asked him. "I also think I saw something in Ms. Tenant's desk. It looked like there was trash in her drawer."

"So she's a slob." Johnny replied. Liv just hit him playfully in the chest. "Alright, there's no way someone with a stick that far up her..."

Liv put a finger to her lips as Ms. Tenant left her office, locking the door behind her and headed out of the building. She had taken her bag with her, indicating that she intended to be out of the building for the rest of the day.

"It must be nice being the boss." Johnny said sarcastically. "She gets to act like a bitch and then cut a half day when she feels like it."

Fran was heading along the corridor at that point, making her way towards the canteen.

"Mrs. Martin!" Liv called out, attracting her attention. "Aren't you going to eat in the teacher's lounge?"

"I kind of lose my appetite there." She replied sarcastically.

"Ms. Tenant's just left." Johnny informed her. "It doesn't look like she'll be back today."

"Oh that's great." Fran grumbled. "I needed something from her office." She stopped the janitor as he was on his rounds. "Sorry to ask Joe, but I need into Ms. Tenant's office..."

The janitor just unlocked the door, before heading back off on his rounds. Fran went into Ms. Tenant's top drawer, taking out a plastic card and a brown paper bag. Looking at it curiously, she just shrugged and threw it in the trash before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"I needed the card for the photocopier." She told them.

"How's Dr. Jennings?" Johnny asked her. Fran shook her head.

"He was a little down the last time I saw him." She replied honestly. "I've called a friend who can help him. He's got a tribuneral tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Liv asked her. "I thought these things normally took time."

"Ms. Tenant wants to move quickly on this." Fran informed them. "I'll do what I can. You two just don't get yourselves into any more trouble."

With that, she left. Johnny started to head towards the canteen, before turning back, noticing that Liv wasn't coming.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked her. Liv smiled.

"It's a date." She told him, taking his arm and walking with him to the canteen. There, she found Mike sitting at a table with a group of his friends, his latest girlfriend sitting by his side. Johnny started to pull Liv towards the queue.

"Hey Liv. How does it feel to be slumming it again?" Mike's girlfriend asked her, hanging off him. "You're settling for Mancusso after going with Mike? Talk about down trading."

Liv turned to her, approaching her slowly. Mike's girlfriend got up, shaking her hair loose.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Johnny and I are just friends." Liv replied, feeling a little regret in that statement. He had grown on her, and she had dropped a few hints that she'd like him to ask her out, but so far it seemed he wasn't interested. "Besides, it's no great loss. Mike wasn't that great."

"That's not what everyone at the Cherry Harvest said." She sniggered.

"That's enough Tiffany." Johnny snapped. It still made his blood boil that the rumour she had gone all the way with Mike was brought up. Tiffany reached up, running a hand through her hair, at which Liv smirked. She could see Mike's bag, and had wanted to find out what he had gotten from Ms. Tenant's office.

"Nice bracelet." She told her. "I remember having one just like it."

She turned to Mike.

"So, do you have a drawer full of those? Or did you follow me and pick up the one I threw in the gutter?" Liv asked him before turning back to Tiffany, who seemed to be noticeably enraged. "You know, you're accepting financial and material gain from spending time with him. I think they have a word for that..."

Tiffany let out a shriek and grabbed Liv, trying to strangle her. Liv didn't stop her as she could have with her training. Instead, she guided the momentum to change direction, before letting Tiffany shove her to the ground. She collided with Mike, sending him and his bag sprawling to the ground as she did so. Seeing a few sheets of paper scattered on the ground as some students pulled Tiffany off her, she quickly grabbed one and shoved it inside her jacket before anyone noticed.

"You might want to keep your pet on a leash!" Johnny snapped, helping Liv to her feet. As he led her away, he held her closely. "You could have taken her apart."

"That wasn't what I wanted." Liv told him, showing him the sheet of paper.

"You raided his bag?" Johnny asked her. "I think I have been a bad influence."

They sat at a table, inspecting the paper. Johnny frowned.

"This is a history test." He told her. "But it isn't one I've seen."

"Me either." Liv replied. "Hold on Johnny, I have something I need to do."

With that, she ran from the canteen. Johnny just rolled his eyes before following her. He had a feeling that maybe he had been a bad influence on her after all.


	124. Conspiracy

Johnny followed Liv as quickly as he could, struggling to keep up with her as she ran through the halls. He was a little surprised as he saw her head into the office block section of the school. Everyone knew that was off-limits to students who didn't have written permission, especially out with class time. As she arrived by Ms. Tenant's office, she checked the door handle, finding to her relief that she was right, and the janitor hadn't yet locked the door. He watched in shock as she went in. Checking around to make sure she hadn't been seen, he followed her, closing the door behind him.

"Liv, what are you doing?" Johnny asked her, checking out the window to make sure no one was coming.

"I think Mike's buying tests from Ms. Tenant." She told him. "He only just took these tests from her office."

"Maybe he stole them." Johnny suggested.

"She was sitting right in front of him!" Liv reminded him as she started opening drawers, looking through them. "If he only just bought them, there might be some kind of payment."

"Your brilliant idea is to try and blackmail Ms. Tenant?" He asked her. "Liv, that's insane!"

"Just shut up and help me will you?" She demanded as she continued to search. Johnny pulled out a drawer in the filing cabinet, finding the permanent records sitting there. He pulled out his own.

"Want to hear what Ms. Tenant thinks of me?" He asked her. "Mr. Mancusso is a troubled young man, who in my humble opinion clearly has some form of undiagnosed psychiatric disorder. While his grades have improved, he still shows an insubordinate attitude, and it is my fear that he will undoubtedly slide back into his old ways."

"Will you concentrate?" Liv asked him, before getting an idea. "Johnny, check Mike's record. Look for his grades."

Johnny did as he was told while Liv continued work on the desk drawers. He found them and let out a long, low whistle.

"Unsurprisingly enough, he's shown improvement." Johnny told her. "I'm not talking a little bit...I mean the guy was dumber than I was. Now he's averaging B+ across the board."

"Johnny, you aren't dumb." Liv sighed, a little hurt to hear him put himself down like that. She came over, taking out some more files. "Her top left hand drawer is locked. See if you can open it."

"What makes you think...?" Johnny's words tailed off as Liv just stared at him. He groaned and went to the desk, taking a letter opener from it, and beginning to work the lock.

Liv turned her attention back to the filing cabinet and checked a few more files.

"Hey Johnny, check this out." She told him. "About another dozen students have all shown the same kind of improvement."

"Let me guess, Mike's friends." Johnny asked her as he opened the drawer. He found nothing there, save for a few personal photographs. Liv quickly used Ms. Tenant's personal photocopier to make some copies of the files, before putting them back. He picked one up.

"What do you know, Ms. Tenant actually had friends." He remarked, showing her the photograph. Liv looked at it, seeing a much younger, much happier looking Ms. Tenant standing with group of young adults, smiling and standing beneath a large crest.

"It looks like this is a college photograph." Liv told him, picking up the letter opener. It had a crest on the knife, just like the one in the picture. "It's probably an alumni photo." Dismissing it as unimportant, she shoved the picture back in the drawer before closing it again. As she put the photocopies inside her jacket pocket, Johnny reached into the trash, pulling out the brown paper bag.

"It looks like Ms. Tenant likes a little drink." He commented. Liv just groaned and snatched it from him. She shoved the bag into her pocket, before they left the office, closing the door just in time as the janitor rounded the corner, coming back.

Johnny panicked as he saw him. Students were only meant to be in the quad or the canteen at lunch time, not anywhere near the offices. Thinking quickly, Johnny grabbed Liv, kissing her deeply. Liv's eyes shot wide in shock, before she closed them and enjoyed the experience, returning the gesture. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him as they embraced. A million and one thoughts and fantasies she'd been having about him rushed through her head, eliminating any thoughts of where they were or what they were doing. They were interrupted as the janitor coughed.

"I'm all for young love, but you two might want to consider somewhere else for privacy." He suggested. "This area's off limits to students."

He leaned in closer to whisper.

"You know when I went here; we used the old science block for that." He told them with a wink. Johnny and Liv just nodded.

"Thanks, we'll remember that." Johnny told him. With that, they left in each other's arms, holding each other closely so as not to arouse suspicion they were anything more than a couple of overly-amorous teenagers looking for somewhere quiet to make out. Liv whispered to him.

"Johnny..."

"Sorry, it was all I could think of." He told her, trying to hide the fact that he had loved having the chance to kiss her. Had it not been for that situation, he was sure she would have probably freaked at the fact her friend had just stuck his tongue in her mouth. He only prayed that she wouldn't run and tell RJ what he had done. "When I saw him..."

"Oh, right." Liv interrupted him quietly. She kicked herself for believing the kiss was anything more than it was. He was just trying to cover for them. Give them an excuse why they were near the offices. She hated to think about it now, knowing that it was likely to be the last time he would do that with her. "Um...I figured it was something like that."

"So you think Mike's buying tests?" He asked her. "I mean, we didn't find any money." Liv shrugged.

"He got those papers from her office, and we have these files." She reminded him. "Maybe if we can prove he got them from her, we can get her to stay quiet about Dr. Jennings."

"Dr. Jennings?" Johnny asked her. She nodded. "You know, the worst thing I was involved in was vandalism. You're thinking blackmail?"

"What are you saying?" Liv asked him, pulling him in more tightly.

"And people say I'm a bad influence on YOU." He responded with a laugh. Liv just laughed and hit him in the chest playfully as they made their way to class.

In another part of town, RJ and Dom were just finishing with the lunch service, while Lily sat with Gabby in the corner, holding David as they looked through wedding brochures. Dom locked the door as the last of the customers left, before slumping to the floor.

"Explain again how you're so busy now all the kids are back at school." He beckoned to the Wolf Master. RJ just laughed, kicking his friend gently as he went by.

"The construction site in the next street has a construction crew of about 80." He reminded him. "Apparently none of them cook."

"Well the way they wolf whistle every woman that passes I'm not surprised they're Neanderthals." Gabby commented. "You should have heard what one of them said to me as I was coming over here. I was seriously thinking of sticking this crutch straight up..."

"Calm down honey." Dom told her. "Take it as a compliment."

"Would you?" Gabby asked him. Dom just gestured to his T-shirt.

"Do you seriously think I hadn't figured out why RJ hasn't ordered me a single t-shirt that isn't two sizes too tight?" He asked her. "I know I'm just the eye candy around here."

"You like the fact women ogle you?" Gabby asked him. "I guess these wedding brochures were a little premature..."

"You know I only want to end up with you." Dom assured her, kissing her softly. "RJ, want to get a workout before the next shift?"

"Prepare to meet your match my friend." RJ told him, following him upstairs.

"Why, is someone else joining us?" Dom laughed as they left. RJ swiped the cap from his head as they left.

"So Gabby, have you made any decisions about the wedding?" Lily asked her. Gabby nodded.

"Dad wants us to have it in the grounds of his place." Gabby told her. "He's going to hire a marquee for the event."

"Well I guess that's the benefit of having parents that are loaded." Lily commented. "Have you gotten the licence yet?"

"We're applying for it in the next couple of weeks." Gabby told her. "Don't worry Lily, I promised I'd let you lead the ceremony. I haven't changed my mind about that."

Lily grinned broadly and kissed David on the top of the head in her excitement at having a second chance to perform a wedding ceremony.

"So what about the dress?" Lily asked her. "Have you had any ideas about that?"

"Well sleeves are out." She grumbled. "The crutches would ruin the armpits."

Lily looked at her sympathetically as she said this. The damage to Gabby's leg had been severe, and as a result of her leg being immobilised for so long, that the muscles had stiffened and wasted a little. She was going to have to wear the cast for another full month, and by the time that was over, she was looking forward to at least a couple of months of physiotherapy. Because of it, she had been forced to drop out of her first year at university and stay in Ocean Bluff. Lily knew how much it upset her.

"You're going to be fine. It'll be at least May before you're planning to have the ceremony." Lily reminded her. "You want to wait for the better weather anyway right?"

"Of course I do." Gabby told her. "It's just..."

"You've done harder things than this before." Lily assured her. "You'll get through this."

"Do you really think so?" Gabby asked her. "I really want to walk down the aisle. Not hobble down with my dad holding me up."

"If that's what you're aiming for, you'll make it." Lily assured her. "You forget, Michelle's a doctor, and Flit's a healer. With them helping you, your physio will go really quickly, I'm sure of it."

Gabby nervously leaned across and grabbed a catalogue. She flicked it open to a page, before sliding it to Lily. She pointed to a picture.

"I was thinking of something like that." Gabby told her. Lily smiled a little, leaning David over so he could see it.

"I think that would be amazing!" Lily told her. "Dom would go nuts if he saw you in something like that."

"I really hope so." Gabby responded. "I want everything to be perfect."

"As long as both of you are there, it will be." Lily assured her. Gabby just smiled.

"Well, you might mess up the ceremony again." Gabby teased her. Lily pouted.

"I don't like you anymore." She replied jokingly.

Back at the school, the day was coming to an end. Liv and Johnny were made their way to the classroom for their detention. Coach Andrews was already waiting there, sitting with a smirk on his face.

"I see your new leaf didn't last long." He teased Johnny as he walked in. "I bet the wrestling team doesn't look so bad now."

He got up from the desk, shoving some papers into his briefcase.

"I have to go and deal with the kids who know how important school is." He told him. "Don't go anywhere. I'll drop in when I can."

As he left, Johnny just threw his bag into the corner. He turned back to Liv.

"Do I just have one of those faces everyone hates?" He asked her. Liv paused and looked up into his face, not knowing how to answer. She certainly didn't hate his face. If she did, she was sure she wouldn't be seeing his face in her dreams. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Um..."

"I mean Ms. Tenant still won't give me a break." He muttered. "I swear, I must have the kind of face everyone hates."

"I don't." She whispered under her breath. Johnny looked over to her.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." He replied. "Did you say something?"

"I...uh...I said watch the door. I want to check on these." She lied, pulling out the photocopies and the test, beginning to check on them. Johnny stood by the door watching out for any teachers. "Well all of them have shown incredible improvement."

"So I guess we know why Mike's buying tests." Johnny replied with a shrug. "He must be selling them on to other kids."

"Rich kids." She told him. "All the zip codes are within the same area of town."

"I guess that figures." Johnny said a little bitterly. "I get a hard time when I'm working my ass off for my grades while all the trust fund babies buy their way through school." He looked round to see Liv looking at him. She had been from the same zip code area. Her dad had been one of the most successful lawyers in town. He remembered his careless words. It wasn't her fault that she was rich, at least on paper. Her inheritance was all in trust. To all intents and purposes, she was a trust fund baby. The only difference was she didn't have wealthy living parents to give her an allowance higher than most adult's salaries.

"Sorry, I didn't mean you." He told her. "I know you work hard too."

"It's alright, I know what you meant." She replied, turning her attention back to the papers, in the hopes that it might distract her from her worries that her background might prevent him seeing her as anything more than a friend. Johnny came over to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder gently.

"I mean it. I am sorry. I know you're nothing like Mike and his friends." He assured her. "I think you're the baddest girl from the good side of town."

Liv smiled as she heard him say this. She leant over, hugging him, feeling the warmth of his touch again. As they parted, the brown paper bag from Ms. Tenant's bag fell on the floor, and something else fell out of it.

"What's this?" Liv asked as she picked it up, shoving the brown paper bag away. "It's a credit card receipt. It's from the gas station on Klondyke."

She read it, taking a look down the charges. Johnny read the receipt too.

"It looks like the sour principal has a sweet tooth." He commented, seeing the list of sweets and snacks she had bought. "She also must fill up regularly. She only bought about five dollars worth of gas."

"That's not all she bought." Liv told him, pointing to a charge. "She also bought a bottle of Jim Beam."

"I never had her pegged as a big drinker." Johnny replied.

"Or an early drinker." Liv commented. "The receipt's time stamped for 7AM."

"She bought it on the way to school." He replied. "So?"

"Johnny, the bag's here, but the bottle's gone." She pressed on. "So where did it go?"

"Maybe she gave it to someone." He suggested. Liv suddenly got a horrible thought.

"Johnny, cover for me." She rushed out as she ran out the door before he could stop her. He just let out a sigh as he saw her go, hoping that she wouldn't be caught.

Liv arrived out at the dumpster out the back of the school. Looking around, she reluctantly got in, hoping not to encounter anything more disgusting than the leftovers from the canteen.

After a bit of rummaging, her foot connected with something which hit the side of the dumpster with a distinctive clink. Bending down, she picked it up, confirming that it was an empty bottle of Jim Beam.

She got out of the dumpster, making her way back to the detention room, slipping inside. She found Johnny still there, pacing impatiently.

"Where have you been?" He asked her. "What was so important...?"

"I was in the dumpster." She told him, showing him the bottle. "I found this."

"The bottle?" He asked her.

"Either that or it's one hell of a coincidence." Liv told him. "So the question is who drank it?"

"She didn't seem drunk." Johnny replied. "I know she hates him, but you don't think...?"

"I think that we should tell Mrs. Martin what we've found." Liv stated flatly. "If I'm right, the whisky wasn't in that coffee by accident. I think Ms. Tenant knew about his problem. I think she might have spiked him."

"But why?" Johnny asked her. "I know she hates him, but this is taking things a little far don't you think?"

"I don't know, but I think the answer might be in these records." She told him as she shoved the bottle, the bag and the credit card receipt away in her bag. "Now, help me..."

Just then, Coach Andrews came back. Liv picked up the records, holding them up so that he could only see the blank side and turned to Johnny.

"So you see the one side of the reaction reduces at the same time as the other oxidises." She rushed out. Johnny nodded his head in understanding. Coach Andrews just satisfied himself they were there, and weren't trying to leave before turning and leaving.

"Liv, we don't have chemistry today." He reminded her.

"I panicked!" She replied sharply. "Besides, he doesn't know that."

"Well you're a bit better at thinking on the fly than I am." He replied, referencing their earlier kiss. "Sorry if I crossed the line."

"It's alright, I understand." She stammered in response. "Maybe here isn't the best place to do this. Maybe we should go back to JKP and look at this tonight..."

"I'd like that." Johnny replied. "Anyway, we still have half an hour left. Maybe we should do some homework or something."

"I guess that is what we were meant to be doing." She answered, shifting in her seat nervously before pulling out some books. She let down her hair to hide her face, hoping that Johnny wouldn't see how much she was smiling at the prospect of spending more time with him.


	125. Disciplinary Hearing

By the time Liv and Johnny got out of detention, the late service was well underway. Dom had been given all the shifts he would accept for the month since they expected that Liv and Johnny would be late back to the restaurant because of their harsh punishment.

Lily was clearing some dishes when she saw them and waved them over.

"So how was detention?" She asked them. "Did you get much of your homework done?"

"Not exactly." Liv told her. "We...couldn't concentrate."

"What were you doing?" Lily asked her, a sly grin starting to cross her face. "Are you two...?"

"No!" They both blurted out together a little too harshly. Lily looked between them as they stared at each other, before letting them off the hook and dropping the matter.

"We think there might be more to Dr. Jennings falling off the wagon than we first thought." Johnny told her. Lily sighed and shook her head.

"Kids, this isn't something you should be worrying about." She told them sadly. "This is something..."

Liv handed a test to Lily, which she looked at with curiosity.

"This is an advanced copy of a test I got from Mike." Liv stated as Lily looked at her. She held her hands up defensively. "No, I'm not cheating or anything...I took it from his bag. We think he's buying tests from Ms. Tenant and selling them to other rich kids."

"What does that have to do with Dr. Jennings?" She asked. Liv handed her the empty bottle from her bag.

"I found that in the dumpster out the back of the school." She explained, handing over the credit card receipt. "We found this in Ms. Tenant's office. She bought it on her way..."

"Hold on, back up a minute." Lily interrupted her, holding up a hand. "What were you doing in her office?"

"I had to see if I was right about Mike and the tests." Liv said, somewhat hoping to gloss over the fact she had broken into her headmistress' office and gone snooping in the hopes of finding blackmail material to help Dr. Jennings keep his job.

"The bottle was bought on the morning we found him, and Liv found it empty today." Johnny interjected. "It looks like it was drunk at school, and I can't remember her being drunk, so..."

"You think she spiked his coffee?" Lily asked them. "Why would she do that?"

"We aren't sure yet." Liv told her, pulling out the photocopies she had taken of the records from her office. "But I think the answers might be in here."

"Why do I get the feeling I don't even want to ask?" Lily quizzed her as she took the copies from her. "Kids, you're already in a lot of trouble. You shouldn't have..."

"Dr. Jennings always believed in me." Johnny interrupted her. "I feel like I owe him."

Lily just sighed and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Alright, but leave this with me, no more snooping am I clear?" Lily instructed them. Both of them just nodded in response. Lily looked a little unconvinced by their newfound obedience, but let it go and just flicked a thumb to the door. They both went, not wanting to push their luck when Lily had been so bombarded by all this information she hadn't seen fit to punish them for admitting to breaking into Ms. Tenant's office. She looked at the records as RJ came over to her.

"I know dad loves spending time with David, but I think we should let him go home soon." RJ commented.

"Yeah, I'll go upstairs in a minute." She told him. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw the papers in her hands. "What are those?"

"Maybe nothing, I'll just go and check on David and your dad." She told him, heading upstairs. RJ just shrugged and went back to concentrating on the restaurant.

Across town, Fran came in the front door of her house, dropping the keys into the bowl by the door. As she did this, she caught the faintest scent of beef stroganoff coming from the kitchen. Theo came into the hall, a towel over his shoulder.

"Dinner's in the oven." He told her. "Camille and Casey said they'd keep Algie for the night."

Fran took off her jacket, hanging it up as Theo came over to her. She had agreed to talk to him about what had happened the night before. She knew in her heart he didn't mean what he had said, but that didn't stop it hurting. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Fran, we should sit down and talk."

She made her way through to the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Theo made his way to the middle of the room, pacing as he tried to find the words to say. How exactly did you apologise to someone for suggesting they were ignoring, even neglecting their child?

"Fran, I didn't mean what I said, I'm sorry." He began regretfully, already feeling like his words weren't enough. "I know that you love us. I know Algie's the most important thing in your life. I should never have said otherwise, it was thoughtless and stupid..."

"Theo, it really hurt." She interrupted him. "Why did you say those things?"

"It slipped out, I just didn't think." He admitted sadly. "I remembered the night you met your mom at the 99 cent store. I know how much what your parents did to you upset you. When you told me about Dr. Jennings, I just didn't want you to get hurt like that again."

"Theo, you know how important he is to me." She replied. "I have to help him."

"I know he means a lot to you. It was wrong of me to ask you to leave him alone." Theo stated as he sat with her. He took her hand softly. "I know you want to help him, but I couldn't bear to see you hurt if it turned out you couldn't help him."

"I know this is hard for him, but he's really trying." Fran told him. "Theo, he doesn't have anyone else. If I don't help him, he's sure to start drinking again."

"Fran, I know I was an idiot before, I just didn't want you to be upset if he had another relapse." He explained. "You and Algie are the most important things in my life. If you want to help Dr. Jennings, I'll stand behind you 100 percent, I promise."

Fran smiled a little and leant in, kissing Theo's cheek softly.

"That really means a lot to me." She told him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to call Dr. Jennings later and let him know what's going on. I called Gabby's dad, one of his lawyers has agreed to come to his disciplinary meeting."

"Like I said, I'll be behind you every step of the way." He assured her, putting his arm around her. "So am I forgiven?"

"You don't think it's going to be that easy do you?" She asked him playfully. "You think cooking my favourite meal and an apology is going to cut it?"

"How many more hoops am I going to have to jump through?" He asked her. She smirked as she thought about this.

"Clear the garage, repaint the living room and give me some incredible make-up sex and we'll talk." She replied. Theo smiled at her.

"Well I think I can accomplish at least part of that tonight." He told her. With that, he took her by the hand and led her towards the stairs.

The next morning, Dr. Jennings arrived at the school for his disciplinary meeting, or more accurately his public execution. He was already certain that Ms. Tenant would be out for his hide. As he sat outside her office like a child waiting to be scolded, Fran arrived.

"How are you?" She asked him. He looked up at her.

"24 hours sober." He told her. Fran looked at him over her glasses.

"That wasn't what I asked." She told him.

"It's alright; I know that's what you wanted to know." He replied. Ms. Tenant came out of her office with the first smile on her face Fran could remember. It was a sick, chilling grin that reminded her of a cat playing with a mouse.

"We're ready for you now." She told him. Dr. Jennings stood up, heading into the office, followed closely by Fran. Inside, an elderly, stern looking man in an expensive suit was waiting. His hair was artificially dark, obviously dyed, and his face was haggard, telling the story of dozens of Botox treatments in a vain attempt to look younger than he was. He was wearing thick, dark-rimmed glasses.

"This is Mr. Underwood; he's with the education department." She informed him. "So, before we begin the proceedings, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Just then, the door flew open, and a man a designer, tailor-made white suit strode in. He was young, with a handsome, chiselled face, and short, ash-blonde hair.

"My client will say nothing. I'm his legal representation." He stated flatly, handing them his card. "I'm Mr. Hill; I'll be acting as Dr. Jennings' attorney."

"Ewan Hill?" Ms. Tenant asked him. His name was well known in Ocean Bluff. He was a gifted and expensive lawyer. She couldn't believe that he would lower himself to something as trivial as a disciplinary meeting. "I'm sorry but..."

"Every employee is entitled to legal representation in any disciplinary or industrial proceedings." He told her. "I'm sorry, there doesn't appear to be another chair."

"Sorry, I'll...I'll have one brought in." She stammered. Dr. Jennings looked to Fran, stunned at this new development, but she just shrugged. She knew that Gabby's dad had agreed to arrange a lawyer, but even she was surprised that Ewan had shown up. It was like Johnny Cochrane taking an interest in a parking violation.

"It's alright, this won't take long." He told her, putting a folder on her desk. "My client is currently attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings..."

"We know..."

"In an attempt to cure himself of an addiction." He continued, ignoring her attempt to interrupt him. "As soon as he acknowledged himself as an alcoholic, he became subject to the disability discrimination laws."

"But..."

"Under United States law, addiction constitutes a disability; as such you as his employer have a duty of care to assist him." Ewan continued. "If you attempt to fire him, or indeed discipline him without giving him reasonable opportunity to de-tox and recover from his addiction, you will be guilty of wrongful dismissal and disability discrimination."

"He was drunk on school grounds!" She snarled. "He had alcohol on the premises!"

"I'm sure my client doesn't want to do anything to hamper the children's education, but I am not so altruistic." Ewan told her. "If you proceed with this disciplinary, I will have no second thoughts about suing the school, and the education authority. I WILL win, I WILL get Dr. Jennings a large settlement, after which, I will have no second thoughts about recommending he take that money and put it towards legal proceedings to sue you personally Ms. Tenant, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than ensuring you don't even have enough money left for bus fare to get home after the hearing. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

Ms. Tenant and Mr. Underwood looked at each other nervously. They knew his reputation, and knew that Ewan was every bit as good as he implied. If he took the case to court, they were sure he would accomplish everything he had threatened. Ms. Tenant reluctantly turned to Dr. Jennings.

"In light of your...illness, we are prepared to overlook this incident." She told him. "You will be suspended..."

"On full pay." Ewan chipped in. Fran had to try hard not to laugh as she saw Ms. Tenant grinding her teeth in frustration. She knew that Ewan would massacre any lawyer the education authority could afford in the court room.

"You will be suspended on full pay until you complete a course of treatment. When you are ready to return, you will go back to your post." She hissed through her teeth. "This meeting is adjourned."

Ewan smiled and offered his hand for a handshake, but neither Ms. Tenant, nor Mr. Underwood reciprocated. Instead, he just turned and left with Dr. Jennings and Fran. In the hall, Dr. Jennings turned to him.

"I don't know how to thank you..."

"Complete this course." Ewan told him, handing him a flyer for a rehab clinic. "It's the best in the city. If you complete that course and return to work, my employer will consider that payment enough."

"Your employer?" He asked him.

"George Wallace is an important client of mine. He insisted I take this case pro bono." He informed him. "It seems you made quite an impression on his daughter."

"Gabby?" He asked. Ewan nodded.

"Mr. Wallace is more than happy to fund your stay at the clinic." He replied. He looked around the hall smiling. "It's been years since I've been back here; I can't believe I threatened to sue my old High School."

"Thank you for your help." Fran told him. Ewan just waved her off.

"Don't be, it was kind of fun." He told her. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

With that, he turned and walked out the door. Fran looked up to Dr. Jennings, smiling.

"So what are you going to do now?" She asked him. He flicked the flyer with his finger.

"I guess I'm packing a bag." He replied. "Thank you Fran, I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost my job."

With that, she hugged him tightly, happy that he had been able to help him.

"I'll keep your class going until you get back." She told him happily. "You just concentrate on getting through your rehab."

"I promise I will." He told her. "I really want to see that boy of yours when I get out."

"I'm sure that can be arranged." She replied with a smile. "Good luck Dr. Jennings."

"Thank you." He replied, kissing her cheek before turning and leaving. With that, she went to her first class with a skip in her step. She was sure that Dr. Jennings would be just fine.

Over in Jungle Karma, Lily was in the apartment, checking over the tests and records that Liv had stolen when RJ came back from his run. He came over to her, kissing her cheek.

"Ew, take a shower!" She complained.

"What are you looking at?" He asked her. "I thought we paid the gas bill last month."

"Liv got these from Ms. Tenant's office." She told him. "Don't say it, I already asked what she was doing in there. I have a feeling its best we don't know."

"They look like permanent records." RJ responded as he looked at them. "Why would she want these?"

"She thinks Ms. Tenant is selling tests to Mike." Lily told him. "She said she thinks he's selling them to the rich kids."

"Well all of these records show a huge jump in grades." He said with a shrug. "Except for this test here, they all show really low grades on the test on the 8th of January."

"You're right." Lily commented, double-checking what he had said. "It says it was an English pop quiz."

She suddenly got a thought, and looked at the credit card receipt.

"English, isn't that Dr. Jennings' class?" She asked him. RJ nodded.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is." He responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Liv said she found an empty bottle of Jim Beam in the dumpster out the back of the school." Lily told him. "This credit card receipt says that Ms. Tenant bought a bottle of Jim Beam on the morning they found him."

"So?" RJ asked her. Lily shook her head in disbelief.

"They think she spiked his coffee to cause him to relapse." She replied. "These students all failed this test. Do you think its possible Dr. Jennings figured this out?"

"You don't really think she did this deliberately do you?" RJ asked her.

"I don't want to believe it, but it makes sense." Lily told him. "If Dr. Jennings thought kids were buying test papers; he might have arranged a pop quiz to catch them."

"But any test would have to go through the office." RJ told her.

"But if he didn't put it through the office, Ms. Tenant wouldn't have had access to it." Lily told him. "So none of the kids would have known it was coming..."

"And the kids buying tests wouldn't have been able to cheat." RJ concluded. "So they flunked."

"If Dr. Jennings thought the kids were buying tests, he would have reported it to the education board. If they did an investigation it would have led back to her. She'd have been fired for sure."

"So instead she tried to get rid of him." RJ concluded. "Who would listen to guy who got fired for being a drunk?"

"RJ, if Liv and Johnny are right..."

"I'll give all of this information to Fran." He told her, gathering the papers together. "We need to keep this under wraps. If she even suspects that we're looking into this, she's going to start covering her tracks."

Meanwhile, over at the school, Mike was taking an opportunity during one of his study breaks to visit Ms. Tenant's office. He closed the door behind himself.

"So, what happened?" He asked her. Ms. Tenant shook her head.

"Somehow Mrs. Martin got him some hot shot lawyer." She informed him. "We can't fire him."

"So what are we going to do?" Mike asked her. "If he rats us out..."

"He still doesn't know about our little enterprise." She informed him. "Besides, he'll be gone for at least a month while he's in rehab. By the time he comes back, all this will have blown over."

With that, she went to the office door, pulling down the blind.

"Your mother and I are sorority sisters. We swore to look out for each other." She told him. "That's why I agreed to this."

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" He asked her, coming over to her. Ms. Tenant pulled out her hair tie and shook her hair loose.

"What do you think?" She asked him, touching his face softly. "So, how about my payment?"

With that, Mike leaned in, kissing her deeply.


	126. Their Journey Begins

The following morning, thankfully, it was the beginning of the weekend. Liv had woken up early to get some warm-up time in before RJ began her training that day. Johnny arrived at the restaurant, finding her stretching off.

"Hey Liv." He greeted her, attracting her attention. She looked around, smiling as she saw him. He couldn't help looking at her. Even in sweat pants and a slightly sweaty t-shirt she looked amazing to him.

"Johnny." She replied as she nimbly rolled backwards, getting to her feet quickly. "You're here early."

"RJ said he wanted me here for training." He informed her. "He said he wanted to talk to me about something important."

"He said the same thing to me too." Liv responded, her face showing the curiosity in her mind as she tried to figure out what was happening.

"Good morning my young students, and how are we feeling this beautiful day?" He asked them. They noticed that he was carrying a large rucksack, which looked more appropriate for a hike across the Himalayas than anything they were likely to find in Ocean Bluff. He had applied a little coloured Zinc to his nose, and was wearing a large, floppy hat.

"Uh, RJ, what's with the get up?" Liv asked him.

"You do realise its January right?" Johnny asked him. "You're more likely to get frostbite than sun burn."

"That may be my young apprentice, but all will become clear soon. I've gotten Dad, Michael and Dom to take care of the restaurant today, so we have the full day free for some very special training."

"You're taking us on a field trip?" Liv asked him. She smiled a little as she tried to imagine what he had in mind. Looking at the rucksack, it appeared as though he was packing for a lot more than just a picnic. "Where are we going?"

"This is as much about the journey as it is about the destination." He told her, setting down the rucksack. "First of all, would you both take a seat?"

Johnny and Liv both looked at each other a little nervously, before sitting on the training mats cross-legged. RJ joined them with a slightly serious expression on his face.

"I understand why the two of you did what you did. I know you just want to help Dr. Jennings." He began, looking between them both, catching both their eyes as he began explaining his position. "It's an admirable thing, and I would never ask you to stop trying to help people, but you took a huge risk in the process."

"RJ..."

"I don't want you to get into any more trouble." He interrupted Liv sternly, but softly. "We believe there may be something to look into, and we will investigate it, we promise, but I want both of you to keep your noses clean. So no more snooping, no more dumpster diving and for God's sake no more breaking into Ms. Tenant's office, am I understood?"

They both nodded in understanding. RJ just smiled as he saw this.

"Well, I think that's all that needs to be said on the matter." He said cheerfully as he rolled onto his back, hitting a kip up and landing on his feet. "Now, come with me for our day of special training."

"What kind of training?" Johnny asked him. RJ just handed him the rucksack with a smile on his face.

"I promise you won't be disappointed." He said enigmatically as he gestured them to follow him.

In another part of town, Dr. Jennings was just finishing his breakfast when a member of the clinic staff came to his table. He had only been in the rehab clinic overnight, but he was already determined not to fail. Seeing the staff member standing over him, he looked up.

"You have a visitor." He informed him. "She doesn't have an official appointment card, so we have to check with you. She says her name is Francine Martin."

Dr. Jennings smiled and pushed his bowl of cereal away from himself. It was because of Fran that he was so motivated to kick his habit yet again. Quitting drinking was by far the hardest thing he had ever attempted, but Fran was by far his most ardent supporter. She was the only one who still seemed to accept him and support him, even when he had let her down. The only thing that would hurt him more than failing would be if Fran finally gave up on him.

"Let me see her." He told the orderly. He got up and followed him down the pristine white halls to the visiting room. This room was a very comfortable place to be, with warm lighting, soft, welcoming paint on the walls, and a couple of large, comfortable chairs and couches. Going in, he found Fran waiting for him. As soon as she saw him, she came over, hugging him warmly.

"I'm sorry; they wouldn't let me bring Algie in. He's outside in the car with Theo." She told him. "It's against the clinic's policy to let young kids in."

"I appreciate the sentiment." He told her as he sat with her on a nearby couch, still deliriously happy about her taking the time out to visit him, despite him only having been in the clinic for one day. "I'll get to see him when I get out of here."

"How are things here?" Fran asked him. "It looks nice from the outside."

"The staff are really good to me." He told her. "I had an introductory group session last night after dinner. They really made me feel at ease being here. I was worried at first, but they really put my mind at rest."

"I'm really glad to hear that things are going well." Fran told him. "Dr. Jennings, there's some things I'd like to talk to you about."

"Of course, you know you can talk to me about anything." He assured her. Fran took a deep breath.

"You said someone spiked your coffee." She reminded him. "I'm not accusing you, it doesn't matter what you say, and I know you're trying..."

"Fran, I swear to you with everything I have that I never put that whiskey in the coffee." He interrupted her. "I don't know who did, but..."

"Is it possible someone knew about your problem?" Fran asked him. "Did you tell anyone at the school?"

"No, I never told anyone!" He stated flatly. "I always tried to keep that between us. I just went to the AA meetings at the Y every Thursday, but I never told anyone where I was going."

He shook his head sadly, thinking about his relapse. It was one of the most shameful moments of his life, being found by two of his students in that condition. He hated to think of them seeing him like that. He was meant to be a role model, a consistent presence in their lives, and from what little he knew of Liv and Johnny, he knew that was something both of them had lacked for a lot of their young lives.

"I know it was wrong. As soon as I tasted that Jim Beam, I know I should have poured that filth down the sink, but that was all it took. That one taste..."

"Wait, how did you know it was Jim Beam?" Fran asked him. "It was mixed with coffee..."

"Trust me, when you've been drinking as long as I have, you know the difference." He assured her. "My poison of choice was usually Jack. I only ever used Jim Beam when it was out of stock."

Fran realised that he had confirmed one thing at least. It was Jim Beam that was in his coffee flask. She hadn't told him about the bottle Liv had found in the dumpster, so he couldn't possibly have fabricated that part of the story without making one hell of a fortunate guess.

"Dr. Jennings, there is one more thing I have to ask you." She told him. "I noticed you pulled a pop quiz about a fortnight ago. Can you tell me why you did that?"

"I noticed that a lot of students had been performing abnormally well in recent tests." He informed her with a slight nod as he recalled it. "I pulled a pop quiz so that I could find out for sure if they were cheating."

"The students you suspected all flunked." She surmised. "What did you do differently?"

"I didn't let anyone know about the test." He told her. "I didn't even use the office copier to make it; I used the one at my local library. Given who the students in question were, I suspected that someone from the office might be involved."

"You suspected someone from the office?" Fran asked him, feeling a little bit of pride building up in her. So far he had confirmed the story that Liv and Johnny had pieced together.

"The only test they didn't get abnormally high grades in was the one that I made with no involvement from the office." He told her. "I reported my findings to the board at the last staff meeting."

Fran nodded in understanding, before getting up from the couch. She took another look around the room smiling.

"This really is a lovely place." She stated.

"It ought to be for what Mr. Wallace must be paying to keep me here." Dr. Jennings agreed. Fran took his hand softly.

"He was happy to do it." She told him. "All he wants is for you to get better."

"I promise I'll try not to let you all down again." He said with authority. "Thank you for believing in me."

With that, Fran hugged him tightly before releasing him.

"I should be going. The orderly told me that your morning session starts soon." She informed him. "I'll try to get a pass for an official visiting time next time I come."

"I'll look forward to it." He told her, waving as she went to the door to leave. He took his seat on the couch again and composed himself for his next session. It was a hard struggle, but now that he knew there were people behind him, he was going to attack it with a new vigour. He was determined to repay Fran's faith in him, and to finally meet her son.

A few miles outside the city, Johnny, Liv and RJ were taking a long hike through the woods surrounding the city. RJ was leading them up a mountain, taking them far from prying eyes. He held up a hand to stop them as they reached a clearing about half way up, looking around to ensure that they were surrounded by trees, obscuring them from any casual observers from the city.

"OK, I think this is the spot." He told them. "Johnny, you can set down the rucksack."

Johnny let out a sigh of relief as the dumped the heavy bag on the ground. RJ took up position on a patch of grass, crossing his legs as he adopted the Lotus position. "Alright, I want you to join me."

Johnny and Liv both looked at each other, a little bemused, but copied him without question. They trusted RJ implicitly with their training, and had no doubt that if he wanted to take them on a hike for several miles just to meditate, then he had to have some kind of reason in mind.

"You both now know about who I am, and who my friends are." RJ began, rolling up his sleeve enough to show them his Master's Mark. "You have both been progressing well with your training, and you have shown a great discipline. That is why I am happy to tell you that as a Pai Zhuq Master, I am prepared to begin taking your training to the next level. I'm going to show you how to become in tune with your animal spirits."

"You're going to teach us to use our animal spirits?" Liv asked him, smiling a little happily. RJ just nodded.

"Now, I have to warn you that this will take a lot of mental discipline and training to perform, and it cannot be undertaken lightly. If we do this, you must do exactly as I say, is that understood?"

They both nodded, at which point, RJ started to take a couple of deep breaths, and closed his eyes.

"I have to warn you; don't be too disappointed if nothing happens for some time. Communing with your animal spirits requires you to tap a much higher level of consciousness than you've ever tapped in our earlier training." RJ told them. With that, he began leading them on the first step of their journey into the world of the Pai Zhuq.

Fran arrived at JKP with Algie, finding the lunch service well under way. Gabby was sitting in the corner as usual, just grateful for the opportunity to get out of her parents' house for a little while. She was still frustrated about her recovery time from the leg injury, but she had, since then, found a new way to pass her time, whiling away the hours in JKP while Dom was on shift, sifting through all the wedding magazines she was buying for ideas for her big day. Fran sat down with her.

"How are you feeling?" Fran asked her as Theo went to the counter to order. Gabby just groaned a little.

"I'm bored as always." She responded grumpily. "I know it's going to hurt and everything, but I can't wait until I get to start physio. At least I'll feel like I'm doing something useful."

"I see you're making the best of your time in the mean time." Fran commented, gesturing to all the brochures around her.

"You could say that I suppose." Gabby replied, picking up a flyer for a florist, showing it to Fran. "My mom recommended this place. She said they did a great job..."

"Hold on, what's this?" Gabby asked her, looking at the picture closely. She pointed out a particular arrangement in the form of a crest. "I've seen this before."

"It's the crest of the Royal Emerald Sorority." Gabby informed her, looking at it. "It's one of the reasons mom loved this florist. She made that arrangement for her graduation ceremony."

"Are you sure about this?" Fran asked her. The younger girl looked around, before opening her jacket a little, showing Fran she was wearing a t-shirt bearing the same crest. "I didn't know you were in a sorority."

"I wasn't, but my mom was." Gabby said with a shrug. "She tried to convince me to join the Blue Bay Harbour University branch as a pledge at the beginning of the year. I lasted about a week before I couldn't be bothered with the hazing. They really hated the motocross thing..."

"I'm sure I've seen this before." Fran interrupted her again, before thinking hard about it. "I saw it in Ms. Tenant's office, on a letter opener."

"Well there are houses all over." Gabby replied with a shrug. "Maybe there's a web site or something."

"Tell Theo I'll be right back." Fran told her, getting up from the table, taking Algie with her. Gabby just shrugged and turned her attention back to the magazines. With her group of friends, this was far from abnormal behaviour.

Back out in the woods, RJ was taking Liv and Johnny into far deeper meditation than they were used to. First contact with one's animal spirit was often a lot harder than subsequent attempts to raise it. First of all, one had to find it, and then, the most difficult part, they had to gain its trust.

Liv reached out with her mind, concentrating hard. At first, all she could see was darkness, but then she suddenly felt something. It was a sudden, warm rush coursing through her mind, like a woodland creature seeking a place to hide.

"I felt something." She gasped, a smile creeping across her lips.

"It's alright if you don't see anything, you'll feel it long before you see it." RJ assured them. Johnny's head jerked aside suddenly.

"I felt something too." He told him. "It felt fierce, like it doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Don't either of you rush anything. Your animal spirit will arise when it is ready." RJ told them softly. "Now, all I want you to do right now is reach out with your heart. Let it know you don't mean it any harm, and then start to bring yourselves back."

Liv did this, beginning to back off slowly in her mind. She caught the faintest sight of a swirl of grey smoke in her mind's eye as she started to bring herself back to consciousness.

"I saw something!" She told him. "I saw it!"

"That's amazing Liv!" RJ complimented her. Johnny felt a little badly about the fact his own experience wasn't going as well as Liv's. He reached harder for his animal spirit. "Now, I want you both to start backing away..."

Johnny grunted and a pained expression crossed his face as he tried to find his animal spirit with a renewed desperation. Liv could sense something was wrong, and brought herself round quickly. She looked to Johnny a little concerned.

"Johnny?" She asked him. "Johnny, what's wrong?"

RJ also came back to full consciousness as he realised that Liv had spotted something was wrong. He made his way over to Johnny.

"Johnny, back it down! Your animal spirit will come when it's ready!" He reminded him. "Johnny..."

He noticed Johnny's body beginning to shake and convulse violently. Liv looked completely terrified for his welfare.

"Johnny..."

RJ noticed a slight green aura beginning to build around Johnny and recognised the signs as grave. He immediately grabbed Liv, throwing both of them aside as the uncontrollable eruption took place and Johnny's animal spirit burst forth in a violent explosion. A glowing green bull rushed out of him, slamming into a nearby boulder, cracking it before dissipating into the air. Johnny just slumped to the ground, completely unresponsive.

"Johnny!" Liv shrieked as she knelt over him, shaking him harshly. "Johnny, speak to me!"

"It's no use Liv, he's out of it." RJ told her. "He wasn't ready to summon his animal spirit yet; it's a terrible shock to the system. All we can do is wait until he wakes up."

"When will that be?" She asked him in a panic, feeling her heart freezing with worry.

"Let me put it this way, I'm going to start a fire to heat the food I packed." He told her. "It looks like we're going to be here for a while."


	127. Johnny's Surprise

RJ offered Liv another barbecued chicken leg, shoving it in her face as she stared at Johnny's unconscious and unresponsive body.

"Do you want some?" He asked her. Liv just shook her head in response. She couldn't face food, she couldn't even think about eating until she was sure Johnny was alright. It didn't matter that she hadn't eaten anything all day, or that her stomach was beginning to tell her that she needed to eat; all that mattered was the fact Johnny hadn't moved, or given any indication that he was alright since his bull spirit had come forth.

"Are you sure we shouldn't call an ambulance or something?" She asked him. It was understandable that she was concerned. He hadn't been responsive now for almost two hours. It was a sad fact that in the history of Pai Zhuq, it had happened before that someone brought out their animal spirit long before it was in tune with them. While it seemed harsh, RJ knew that it was pointless to try and rouse him, or offer him any treatment. He would recover consciousness in time, when he was ready.

"I told you before Liv, it's alright. He'll be fine." RJ said soothingly, putting his arm around her. "We just have to wait for him to come around."

"His animal spirit...it hurt him." Liv stammered, thinking about it. She looked up to RJ, clearly afraid. "I didn't know it could hurt us."

"A person's animal spirit needs to be in harmony with them, otherwise it harms both of them to use it." RJ explained to her softly. "He's going to be fine."

"What went wrong?" She asked him. RJ sighed a little as he looked to the ground.

"He pushed too hard, his animal spirit wasn't ready." He told her. "He pushed, and it pushed back. In the end, it wasn't good for either of them."

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" She asked him. RJ just smiled.

"He's a bull." He responded. "He's got a huge heart. He'll get through this."

"He really has." Liv responded with a smile. RJ noticed her reaction and squeezed her a little in a comforting gesture. They still hadn't received the paperwork, or had any contact with the adoption agency, but she was already his daughter in his eyes. She was now his kid as much as David was as far as he was concerned.

"So, how about making your old man happy and having a little something to eat?" He asked her, gesturing to the chicken. Liv just nodded in response.

"RJ, there's something I really want to ask you." She mumbled. He looked at her, waiting patiently for her to continue. "Once we get the forms and I adopt you, would...would you mind if I call you dad?"

RJ just kissed her forehead softly, smiling as he heard this.

"I would consider it an honour." He assured her. "Liv, you might have come into my life recently, but I can assure you, as much as David is my son, you are my daughter, and there is nothing that will ever change that."

In his mind, Johnny found himself in JKP, cleaning up as the restaurant closed for the evening. He smiled as he looked at Liv, seeing her once again picking the same four songs on the juke box she always did.

"I'm guessing you really like Kira Oliver." He teased her. Liv just nodded in response, smiling so broadly she exposed her braces, the smile he would do practically anything to see.

"She's amazing. I don't know what I'd give to go to one of her concerts." She told him with an obvious excitement. "She has a concert in town this weekend, but the box office was sold out."

Johnny just smiled and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a couple of tickets, showing them to her.

"Would that be this concert?" He asked her. Liv squealed excitedly as she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He spun her around as she did this.

"I can't believe you did this for me!" She told him. "This must have cost you a fortune!"

"I saved my tips for the last two months." He told her as he stepped forward, looking deeply into her eyes. "It was worth every penny."

With that, he leaned down, bringing his lips to hers. He felt his heart racing as he did this, taking joy in her touch. She was all he could think about now. He would gladly do anything for her; indeed, he had risked his life for her without a second thought. As they parted, she bit her lower lip nervously, looking at him.

"Johnny, I had no idea..."

"I'm crazy about you." He interrupted her. "I have been for ages."

Just then, he turned, his face falling as he saw RJ standing in the kitchen doorway. His mouth hanging open in shock as he watched them, and his eyes showing a rage born out of betrayal.

"RJ..."

"Get out!" He barked savagely, making his way over.

"RJ, I didn't..."

RJ punched him hard, sending him to the floor. Johnny looked up to him, cradling his jaw.

"I did everything for you! I gave you a job, I trained you, I took you under my wing and this is how you repay me?"

"RJ..."

"She's my daughter you backstabbing piece of shit!" RJ yelled at him.

"RJ, I love her, I'm not messing around!" Johnny pleaded with him.

"I trusted you!" He spat bitterly as he pulled Liv behind him protectively. "Get out of here!"

"RJ..."

"Everyone was right about you, you are a lost cause!" RJ interrupted him, wounding him deeply. As much as he cared for Liv, RJ's opinion of him meant a lot to him. He was one of the few people that had had faith in him and believed in him.

"RJ, I didn't disrespect you!" He continued to protest. "Please, this isn't anything against you..."

"Get out!" RJ snapped. "Get out and don't come back!"

Johnny just hung his head and left the restaurant without another word. Casting a quick look back to Liv, he saw the heartbreaking look in her eyes as she just watched him leave. He pulled out the tickets and put them on the table nearest the door.

"Enjoy the show." He told her, leaving for the last time.

Back in reality, Liv watched Johnny shift a little in the sleeping bag RJ had put him into. He seemed to be dreaming or hallucinating, but she could do nothing to help him. It tore her apart to watch him like this.

"Try to get some sleep." RJ told her as he got into his sleeping bag.

"I don't think I can." She told him. "I really just want to hear him say he's alright and I'll be fine."

"Liv, I know he's your friend, but you need rest." RJ told her. "It's been a pretty big day for you, and we'll be getting right back into it in the morning."

"I...I'm not sure I can." Liv stammered. RJ propped himself up on an elbow and stared at her.

"I know what happened to Johnny has to scare you, but you're ready for this." He assured her. "If you weren't, I wouldn't be training you in this."

"You're only saying that because..."

"It's because of that I wouldn't have brought you out here." He shot her down with a little smile. "You're my daughter, and I'd never put you in harm's way. If I wasn't sure, 100 percent certain you could handle it, there's not a force on earth that would have made me train you in this."

"So how many people have you trained to do this?" Liv asked him.

"You and Johnny will be the first." He admitted. "Master Mao taught all of us other than Camille. As you know, she's a lot older than she looks."

Liv nodded as she recalled the long conversation RJ had with them when he had revealed to them the truth about himself and the others as former Rangers.

"So did you ever have any times like this?" She asked him.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I was a werewolf?" He asked her. Liv just shook her head.

Johnny found himself in Ms. Tenant's office, looking around in confusion as he found himself there.

"Mr. Mancusso, this is easily the most satisfying day of my tenure here." She told him as she stepped into the room. "I'm pleased to say you will no longer sully the name of this school."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" He roared. "I've done some pretty stupid shit in the past, but I've..."

"Don't try to ride it out Mancusso." Mike taunted him as he entered the room. "The fact is, in this world, there are Gods and clods. I don't think you don't deserve a chance, I just know that I'll always need someone to rotate my tyres or clean my windshield..."

"I've worked my ass off to get to where I am!" He shot back defiantly. "I am proud of who I am now!"

"If that's true why do we keep beating you?" Mike asked him as he came to Ms. Tenant's side. "Why is it that you keep getting dumped on by anyone that has even the slightest impact on your life...?"

"Not everyone!" He snapped. "What about RJ?"

"He'd toss your sorry ass in the street in a heartbeat if he had any suspicions what you think about when you see his precious Liv." He taunted him.

"Mrs. James..."

"She's just as protective of her little girl." Mike told him.

"Mrs. Martin..."

"Do you really think she'd choose you over them?" Mike asked him. "Face it Mancusso, you don't have anyone who wants you back!"

"I have one!" He told him. "I have her!"

"She doesn't even know you exist dumbass!" Mike laughed. Johnny just grabbed him roughly by the collar and rammed him against the wall

"I don't care!" He snapped. "I don't care Ms. Tenant wants to toss my ass out of school, I've accepted that already! I don't care that you don't like me!"

"You care that she doesn't love you though." Mike sniggered. "If that wasn't the case, why would all this crap be going on in your dreams?"

"If she's happy and she has a good life, that's all I want!" Johnny told him.

"It isn't all you want though, is it?" Mike asked him. "It just tears you up inside that I had what you want doesn't it?"

"Shut up!"

"I lied to her and strung her along for weeks and I still got more from her than you ever will!"

"Shut up!"

"How did it feel Johnny? How did it feel having your tongue in her mouth...?"

"Shut up!"

"Feeling her hold you...?"

"Shut up!"

"And knowing that the lie of that moment was the closest you'll ever get?"

"Shut UP!" Johnny roared, throwing him into the opposite wall Mike just laughed and dusted himself off.

"You'll never have her." Mike told her. "Accept it Mancusso, people like you have your place...it just isn't in our world."

"You're the loser Mike!" He snarled. "I was just like you, I had poor grades, and I had problems..."

"I..."

"The difference is that I'm trying to do something about it!" He continued, ignoring his tormentor. "You're a loser Mike, you always have been and you always will be!"

"I..."

"I have failings, but I've been working my ass off to do something about it!" Johnny carried on aggressively "You will always be a loser Mike!"

"I got further with her than you ever will." He replied. Johnny just smiled.

"I can live with that." He told him. "It hurts, but I can live with it, because I have something you never will."

Johnny stepped closer, ending up nose-to-nose with his tormentor.

"Everything I have with her is real." He told him. "Do I want more from her than she's willing to give? Yes, but the fact is, my friendship with her is real. Your relationship with her was lies and bullshit. You might have taken her for a ride, but she saw straight through you in the end."

"I..."

"She saw you for what you are." Johnny stated flatly. "I know this is all fantasy, I know this is my fears playing me, but even if this is true, I'd rather have her friendship than a thousand of the kisses you had with her."

Just then, a blinding light engulfed him. Johnny snapped back to consciousness, breathing rapidly. He was greeted with a pair of soft hands resting on his chest, and friendly, warm green eyes.

"You really had me worried there." Liv told him. "You've been out nearly 10 hours."

"10 hours?" Johnny asked her. "Then why are you still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep." Liv told him, sweeping some hair behind her right ear. "Not when I didn't know if you'd be alright."

"Liv..." She silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Johnny, this really scared the shit out of me." She told him. "When you keeled over like you did, I aged about 30 years!"

"Well you still look pretty good for it." He responded. Liv laughed despite the pathetic attempt at humour. "I'm sorry; I know I suck at pick-up lines."

"You aren't that bad." She told him, leaning down, pressing her lips to his quickly. Johnny looked up at her a little shocked.

"Liv..."

"Johnny, how direct do I have to be?" She asked him. "I've been trying to get you to ask me out for months!"

"I guess I'm a little dense." He replied. "Bull remember? The skull's a bit thick."

"Well maybe this'll get the message across." She told him, leaning in and kissing him passionately.


	128. The Truth

Early the following morning, Liv came to, waking up in her sleeping bag with a huge smile on her face. She couldn't believe that she had finally admitted to Johnny what she had been feeling for him, never mind that he had returned her feelings for her.

For much of her life, she had been told she was worthless, a disappointment, until eventually she had come to believe it herself. She had never believed her life could possibly be anything other than an endless cycle of degradation, humiliation and cruelty, but that had all changed. Now, she had a real family, one where she was valued, respected, and indeed loved as a daughter should be. In time, she had started to come to the belief that she could have more, like all the other kids in her neighbourhood who took their pampered, self-absorbed lives for granted.

She had dropped hints to Johnny for a long time that she wanted him to ask her out. She had mentioned the Christmas Dance at the school more times than she could remember in the hopes he would ask her to go. She had no intention of going herself, but if he had told her he wanted her, that he liked her in the way she liked him, she would have made the effort. In the end, she had made do with the shift at JKP with him. Of course they'd had their fair share of fun then too.

She still remembered in pointed detail the night Mike had shown her his full colours. It still hurt her to think that she had given Johnny a hard time, and hadn't believed him when he tried to warn her what he was like. She had never felt worse in her life than the moment she realised that Mike only wanted one thing from her, and that he had lied to her all along. Despite how hurt she was, and the knowledge that she would have to face up to the other kids at school, and to RJ and Lily, she had to admit feeling good when Johnny had stood in her defence. Despite of everything, he hadn't given up on her.

When he had collapsed, she couldn't think of anything but him. He had pushed a little too hard in trying to summon his animal spirit, and as such instead of working with him, it had worked against him, draining him terribly. Her heart ached as her first thought was that he had been taken from her, that he might have died without her being able to explain to him how much he meant to her. When she had heard him regaining consciousness, unable to sleep herself, she was so thankful that she couldn't help herself from showing him how much she cared.

As she heard RJ snoring, laughing a little at her new dad's noisy slumber, she turned over to look at Johnny, finding his sleeping bag empty. She pulled herself out of it, looking around for him frantically.

"Johnny?" She asked him. "Johnny?"

She left the campsite, in search of him, hearing a splashing a little way off. She made her way through the undergrowth, finding him in a nearby stream, taking something of a quick swim. She sat by the riverbank, enjoying the view for a little while, until he realised she was there, immediately pulling under the water as much as he could.

"Liv!" He yelled. "How long have you been here?"

He had gotten up a little while ago, and he had found himself conflicted. While he wanted to talk to her about the kiss, to talk to her about how he felt about her, he had been painfully aware that RJ was there too. He had done so much for Johnny that he truly wanted him to be cool with what was going on. He didn't want to turn RJ against him. Instead of waking her, or indeed waking him and talking through the situation with him by himself, instead, he had gone for a swim to clear his head. It turned out that this hadn't been the best of ideas. If RJ found him like this, things were hardly likely to go well.

"You weren't there when I woke up." Liv explained as she pulled her hair back behind her ears. "I wanted to talk..."

"Liv, this isn't the best time!" He told her. She looked at him a little hurt and confused.

"Johnny, I thought..."

"Liv, this isn't the best time!" He reiterated, gesturing to his clothes on the riverbank. It was only then that she caught on to what he had meant by that. RJ hadn't told them where they were going. Indeed, he hadn't told them they were going on this retreat at all. It was unlikely that Johnny had packed swimming trunks.

"I'll just..." As she turned to go, she heard RJ coming. She slipped into the brush a little way off, trying to avoid the inevitably embarrassing situation. RJ stepped into the clearing, finding Johnny.

"Well I've found one of you at least." He commented. "Have you seen Liv?"

"Not since I got up." Johnny lied a little nervously. "Maybe she went back to the campsite?"

"I guess so." RJ replied with a shrug. He stopped as he thought about the position Johnny was in. "Um...are you...?"

He held up a hand as Johnny was about to answer.

"On second thoughts, I'll just leave you to get dried off." He told him. "I'll meet you back at the camp. I have some beans for breakfast."

"I'll be there in a few." Johnny responded as RJ left. With that, he just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be far from a comfortable conversation.

In Ocean Bluff, Fran heard a knock at the door while she and Theo were feeding Algie. Theo answered the door, finding Susan outside. She was wearing a leather jacket, and a Harley Davidson t-shirt that was stretching a little as a result of her slightly expanding abdomen. She was wearing sweat pants, most of her jeans no longer being suitable.

"Susan?" Theo asked her. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Fran asked me to come around." She replied, making her way inside. "She told me all about the Ms. Tenant situation."

"Sorry, it completely slipped my mind, come in Susan." She told her. "So what have you found out?"

"You're bringing her into this?" Theo asked his wife. "You are aware she is pregnant right? How do you think Jarrod's going to be?"

"He didn't have much choice in the matter." Susan replied, pulling out a file from her inside pocket. "Besides, I do kind of miss snooping once in a while."

"Is this credit card records?" Theo asked her.

"I still have a few friends on the force." Susan replied with a shrug. "Murphy figured out he prefers office work to the work on the streets. He has a real talent for it. For a box of donuts, he'll get me anything."

"To think you used to be a cop." Theo sighed, shaking his head, well aware of the fact that what she had done was probably illegal. Susan put the records down on the table.

"There haven't been any unusual additions to Ms. Tenant's accounts." She told her.

"Well she is the one giving Mike the tests." Fran responded. "She has to be doing it for some reason. I know his mom and Ms. Tenant were sorority sisters, but surely it has to be more than that."

"Well there is one thing I've found." Susan replied. "She books into a suite in the Louisville Hotel twice a week, every Wednesday and Saturday."

"A hotel suite?" Fran asked her.

"I have, well...Sgt. Rhodes...confirmed with the Louisville that she has the suite booked for tonight." Susan replied. "Apparently her standard booking has a bottle of champagne and two glasses on ice waiting in the room."

"You don't think...?"

"It's slim, but maybe there's a reason Mike isn't paying her." Susan suggested. "At least, not in the traditional sense."

"She's in there tonight?" Fran asked her. "When's check-in?"

"She always pays for an early check-in." Susan informed her. "When I asked, they told me that early check-in is midday."

"That gives us a couple of hours." Fran remarked. "Theo, would you ask Michelle...?"

"I already called my sister, she knows that Theo's working in the Rock Porium today." Susan replied, pulling out a digital camera. "I had a feeling you'd want to be there for this."

"Whatever makes you think that?" Fran asked her, with a huge smile on her face. "You know, I feel like a little lunch today."

"At the Louisville by any chance?" Susan asked her. "You know, I think that would be nice."

Back in the forest, RJ, Liv and Johnny sat, eating their breakfast in virtual silence. The Wolf Master looked between them both, trying to get a measure of what was wrong. As a result of his training, he was quite astute when it came to reading animal spirits. He could sense a lot of nerves and fear between them. Eventually, he put down his dish.

"Alright, before we begin, I'd like to talk to you." He told them. "Johnny, what happened to you yesterday is a scary thing, but you both know I wouldn't do anything that could hurt you right?"

Liv and Johnny looked at each other, uncertain how to react.

"I'm not blaming you, I know how easy it is to try too hard, I admit to doing it myself in my early days." RJ told him. "If you both just trust me, everything will be alright."

Liv put down her plate, preparing to speak, but Johnny put his hand on her wrist, shaking his head. He knew that she had some intentions of letting this slide and letting it him believe he was right, that they were only worried about what had happened to Johnny, but he wanted to square things with him. Liv nodded in understanding.

"RJ, there's something I really need to talk to you about." Johnny began seriously. RJ just nodded and waited for him to begin. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me. Since you agreed to help me...I'm doing things I never would have dreamed I could do. You've believed in me so much more than anyone else, and I want you to know that means so much to me."

"Well it's meant a lot to me too." He told him. Johnny just sighed.

"RJ, I wanted you to know, I'll never do anything that isn't cool with you. I respect you too much for that, that's why I wanted to tell you before anything happened." He told him. "I've...been having very strong feelings about Liv."

"Oh." RJ replied curtly, tossing down his own bowl. He looked at him for a second, feeling the protective nature of his Wolf Spirit rising a little. He knew Johnny enough to know that he was genuine in his assertions, but that didn't allay his nature too much. "May I ask how long this has been going on?"

"It's...nothing's happened." Johnny told him. He suddenly felt guilty about lying to RJ, and his head sank low. "We kissed last night, not long after I recovered."

"Did you...?"

"Nothing else happened, I swear!" Liv told him. "I kissed him."

"So this is mutual?" RJ asked her. She nodded.

"RJ, I want to tell you this. You remember that night on the beach, the night I protected her from Mike...?"

"Do you really want to go there?" RJ asked him. "I thought you were trying to make me think this was a good idea."

"This is important, I promise." Johnny assured him. "When I saw that gun...when I thought I was going to die...all I could think about was the fact that I was happy."

RJ looked confused, and so did Liv. Johnny just shifted a little closer.

"I was happy because I knew she was safe." He replied. "Mike was after me, not her. As long as that was the case, it didn't matter to me what happened to me. I love her."

RJ looked between them again, holding his head in his hands as he thought about what to do.

"Alright, I will admit that this isn't really cool with me. I love Liv very much, and want the best for her." He began. "However, I am only just getting used to having a teenage daughter. I doubt I'd have liked anyone going out with her, especially after what happened with Mike."

"Dad..."

"Liv, I trust both of you, but you'll just have to humour me for being a dad and setting a few ground rules." He told her. "Firstly, you are both underage..."

"Dad!"

"I mean it Liv, just humour me." He interrupted her. "You date, but you keep things strictly PG-13 do we understand each other?"

"You have my word." Johnny told him.

"Secondly, Liv's welfare is my primary concern in all of this." RJ told him flatly. "If your grades...EITHER of your grades slip, or I see your conduct becoming a problem, or your work or training suffers..."

"It won't." Liv replied, reaching for Johnny's hand, but thinking better of it as she saw RJ's expression.

"Finally, we are a family, we should make decisions as such." He told her. "We'll explain this to Lily. If she's alright with this, then so am I."

"That sounds alright to us." Liv told him. RJ got up, before gesturing to Johnny. He came over a little closer so RJ could whisper to him.

"I guess by tradition I should warn you, if you make her cry, then I'll make you cry, and you know I can." He warned him. "Now, if both of you would...move your sleeping bags a little further away from each other for the sake of my fragile sanity...we can find somewhere to train."

With that, Liv and Johnny moved their sleeping bags further away. Their eyes locked, and they both smiled, but they were interrupted by a cough from RJ.

"Sometime today would be nice." He told them, gesturing them to follow him.

"Sometime today would be nice!" Ms Tenant snarled as she pounded a fist on the desk of the Louisville, unaware that Fran and Susan were watching from a table a little way away, pretending to eat their already-cold meals. "I paid a lot of money for this early check-in!"

The desk clerk was looking a little flustered as she talked on the house phone.

"Housekeeping have said that the room is ready." The clerk told her. "Room service will have your champagne brought to your room shortly."

"Tell them not to expect a tip!" She snapped, snatching the key from the clerk. She made her way to the elevator, heading up.

"OK, now's the time to go." Susan told her.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked her friend. "Mike hasn't arrived yet..."

"Do you really expect him to come in the front door?" Susan asked her. "He's already here somewhere."

"Then how...?"

Susan got up and made her way to the desk clerk, handing her a few dollars.

"Thanks Maisie." She told her. "I appreciate this."

"Hell, I'd have done it for free." She replied. "Ms. Tenant's always been a bitch. I'm sure she doesn't remember me, but she made my life at school miserable."

With that, they got the next elevator up to the top floor, being careful not to be seen. They watched from the elevator as Mike came up the emergency exit, carrying some flowers. He went to the door, knocking it, at which Ms. Tenant answered. Her hair was already down, and she had already slipped into a dressing gown.

"I was beginning to think you'd never come." She told him, smiling.

"Do you think I'd ever pass up my special lady?" He asked her, kissing her deeply. Susan snapped a picture as they did so, before they went inside.

"That's got to be enough surely." Fran asked her as they went into the hallway. Just then, a teenager rolled out a cart, carrying an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne, and a pair of glasses. He looked around whistling to them, and waving them over.

"My girlfriend works the desk." He told them. "I heard you were going to put Ms. Tenant in her place."

"We plan on it." Fran told him. "Why...?"

"She cost me an academic scholarship." He told them. "I was found in the bathroom with a couple of football players who were smoking weed. There's no prizes for guessing who it got dumped on."

"So what can...?"

"Just let me watch!" He said with a smile. Fran and Susan followed him as he went with the cart, stopping outside the door. He knocked.

"Room service." He called out. The door was eventually answered by Ms. Tenant, who wasn't looking in their direction, looking back to the room.

"It's about time..." She suddenly snapped around as she heard the camera. She looked up, seeing Fran and Susan.

"What's happening?" Mike asked, stepping into view. Susan snapped off another photo, noting him in his boxer shorts. "What the hell?"

"Kid, you've just been busted!" Susan told him, making her way into the room, snapping another couple of shots of them both. "Ms. Tenant, you have so much to answer for!"

"I know you're sorority sisters, but something tells me Mrs. Bishop isn't going to be too happy when she knows what you've been doing with her son!"

"Mrs. Martin..."

"You put that whisky in his coffee you cold-hearted bitch!" Fran spat in anger. "I've watched two members of my family destroyed by alcohol."

"If you want tenure..."

"I think we both know I can demand more from you than that." Fran replied, making her way over to the phone and picking it up. "I want you to make the call."

"What call?" Ms. Tenant asked her.

"I have no interest in destroying you like you planned to do to Dr. Jennings." Fran replied coldly. "Just having you out of here will be more than enough for me. I'm giving you the opportunity to call the education board confess. They'll give you the opportunity to resign."

"But..."

"If you don't, I'll turn over what I have to the education authority." Fran assured her. "It won't be enough to get a criminal conviction, but it'll be more than enough to ensure your career as a teacher is dust!"

Ms. Tenant looked to Mike, knowing that the secret they had shared was exposed. Reluctantly she took the phone from Fran.


	129. Lily's Consent

Dr. Jennings was in the communal area of the clinic, watching some kind of nature documentary. He couldn't really tell what it was about, having walked in part way through, but on the other hand, he didn't really care either. He was just watching it for background noise as he waited for his next counselling session.

As he watched yet another gazelle being mauled, an orderly approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"It isn't time yet is it?" He asked, checking his watch. The orderly just shook his head.

"You have a visitor." He replied with a smile.

"Well as enthralling as the entertainment is, I suppose I should be polite to my visitors." He commented. As he came through to the side room, expecting to find Fran, he was stunned to find two men in suits. One he recognised as the local School Superintendant, the other he didn't recognise.

"I would ask to what I owe this pleasure Charles..."

"Dr. Jennings, before you say anything, this isn't what you think." He told him. "We're just here to discuss a recent investigation. It appears there was more to what happened to you than we were first led to believe. This is Mr. Brookside, an attorney acting for the education authority."

"If you're planning to fire me..."

"Far from it my good man, we have every intention of bringing you back onto the full-time staff." He told him. "Ms. Tenant called us this morning with a rather troubling story. She confessed this morning to distributing advanced copies of test papers to a student."

"She was the one giving out those tests?" Dr. Jennings asked him. "What does that have to do with me though?"

"She went on to explain that she distributed those tests because she has been involved in a...regrettable incident involving a student." He continued. "When you had that pop quiz all the students involved failed, she panicked and tried to discredit you..."

"She did this?" He snarled. "I admit..."

He was cut off as Charles held up a hand to stop him saying anything he would regret.

"Dr. Jennings, she admitted to everything she's done and tendered her resignation with immediate effect." He continued. "We just thought you should know that as a result, the investigation against you has been dropped, and all mention of it will be removed from your record."

"I'm completely cleared?" Dr. Jennings asked him. Mr. Brookside stepped forward, handing him a form.

"This is a statement from the education authority acknowledging that your case will not appear on your permanent record." He told him. "In return, we expect you to maintain...discretion regarding this matter."

"So this is a gag order?" He asked them.

"As far as we are aware, that incident is the one and only time you have had such a...regrettable slip." Charles told him. "We simply ask that in order to avoid more embarrassment all around than there needs to be, you exercise a little restraint."

"So I just finish my treatment here and then I go back to my job as long as I don't say anything?" He asked. Charles just nodded.

"It is the best thing all around." He replied. "You know how much a bad news story can damage the school. If this got out..."

"I'll sign the form." Dr. Jennings sighed, taking it, and signing it, but feeling a little conflicted about doing so. He knew that the main reason they wanted him to sign it was to prevent him seeking a legal case against the Education Authority for not observing a duty of care to him. He had no desire to let them off the hook so easily, but in the end, all he really wanted was to get back to his job.

Meanwhile in another part of town, Fran went with another representative of the Education board to the high school, finding Ms. Tenant waiting for them. She was looking a lot less dapper than she usually did, having not showered or bothered with her make-up. Her hair was hanging loose, and a little wild, and she hadn't bothered to wear a suit, opting instead for a rather unflattering, baggy jersey and sweat pants. She had an expression on her face like one of the students waiting outside her office to receive a disciplinary procedure. She had been instructed to meet them here to clear out her office and turn in her keys.

"Ms. Tenant, thank you for meeting us on a Sunday." The representative began. "I think we can all agree we'd like to take as little time over this as we can."

Ms. Tenant gave Fran a quick glare as she handed over her key to the building. Since she would no longer be on the staff here, she was required to be accompanied as she collected her belongings. Fran couldn't help feeling a little satisfaction in watching her pick up a box and sheepishly being led into the building that until the day before she had ruled with an iron fist. She had made absolutely no effort to disguise her distaste for anyone that existed outside her perception of what she wanted her school to be like.

She had made Fran as uncomfortable as she could because she had been pregnant when she began her job there, which she saw as glorifying pregnancy and although the rumours had gotten back to Fran through the grapevine, she had been spreading the message that she believed it would be a bad example to the kids and lead to teenage pregnancies in the students.

She had hated Dr. Jennings long before his alcoholism had become common knowledge. He represented a very relaxed, co-operative form of learning instead of simply rhyming off facts for the kids to learn. Rather than simply find students who wouldn't make the grade and try to cut them loose as she would do, he was constantly pushing his students to improve, and encouraging them, refusing to give up on them. Finally, she had always shown favouritism to students who enhanced the image of the school. The rich kids whose family names brought prestige to the school, the athletes, the cheerleaders, and the top academic performers were allowed a lot of leeway in their conduct, while everyone else was subject to her full wrath.

As they got to the office, Ms. Tenant went in, beginning to collect her few personal items. Her desk wasn't exactly cluttered, she only had a few items, namely the letter opener bearing the crest of her sorority house, a couple of pictures from her college days, and a pen set.

"There was only one thing I didn't get." Fran finally said to her. "How did you find out about his problem? How did you know how to hurt him?"

"Mrs. Bishop, Mike's mother does a lot of work at the Y." Ms. Tenant explained. "Mike saw him go into an AA meeting a while ago."

She finished gathering the last of her effects and closed the box, tucking it under her arm, before turning back to Fran.

"If you think this is going to change anything for the better, you're sadly mistaken." She said defiantly. "This school would have fallen apart years ago without me."

"You made people's lives here miserable!" Fran snapped back at her. "You drove kids out of the door..."

"You know as well as I do the budget is dependent on the school's academic scores." Ms. Tenant interrupted her. "Those kids that left couldn't cut it. They were bringing down our average GPA scores. Why waste our time on dead weight? Why harm the few kids who'll actually make something of themselves?"

"I became a teacher to help kids." Fran replied proudly. "You took the easy way out. If you have a kid that's a problem, just throw him to the wolves. Heaven forbid you actually do something and put in some effort to get them to improve."

"Like Mancusso?" She asked her. "Do you really think just because he's shown a little improvement that he's going to change? He's been trouble from the moment he came here. Kids like that never change."

"You're wrong, unlike that toy boy of yours; he's worked his ass off. He's earned every grade he's gotten. No one's handed him a thing." Fran told her. "The only thing I'm a little sad about is that you won't be at his graduation for him to shove his diploma in your face."

Ms. Tenant just turned from her and made her way out the door, stopping in the hall to turn back to her, sneering.

"Good luck with that." She said sarcastically, before leaving the building for the last time. She turned to the representative from the education board.

"So what happens now?" Fran asked him. "What happens about the Principal's position?"

"Well you'll all just have to cope for the next week until we can arrange a temp. After that, we'll need to start looking for a permanent replacement." He explained. "There are bound to be plenty of applicants. It's a pretty attractive position. Given the school's reputation, there should be a lot of interest."

"I hope so." Fran sighed, straightening her glasses. "Do you mind if we lock up now? I really should get home to my son."

"I wouldn't want to deny you that pleasure." He told her as they locked the office, leading her out of the building. "I've got four myself."

"Wow, and I thought Algie was hard work." She replied, shutting off the lights.

In another part of town, Mike was sitting in a park; casually slugging vodka straight from the bottle like it was mineral water as his friends arrived. He had a couple of tears in his eyes. Now that the truth had come out, he had lost pretty much everything he was working for. His mother had screamed at him at length for what he had done. She had made him call his girlfriend and confess to the fact he had cheated on her with Ms. Tenant. Unsurprisingly the humiliation of that revelation had led to him being dumped. It was the least of his worries. One of his friends looked at him a little curiously. It wasn't like they hadn't seen him drinking before, just not so heavily, or so early.

"What's going on Mike?" He asked him.

"You'll hear about it Monday." He told them. "I've been expelled. They found out about the tests. You don't need to worry; I haven't told them who my customers were."

"They kicked you out?" He asked in response. "What are you going to do?"

"Mom screamed at me for a couple of hours, I wasn't really listening." He told them. "She just said that I needn't think she was just going to pay my way through life. She was going to make me earn my keep. She expects me to work in the brewery."

"You were kind of planning on that anyway right?" Another of the jocks asked.

"I was planning on getting a token office job, but mom isn't going to let that happen now!" He yelled, launching the bottle away, missing the nearby trash can by several feet. "She says me getting expelled is a shame on the family. She wants to make an example of me. She's putting me to work on the floor."

"She actually wants you to WORK?" One of them asked him. Most of his friends were trust fund babies like him. Many of them had no more ambition than he did, but saw menial work as beneath them. Hearing that his mother expected him to work on the floor with all the other employees was akin to her asking him to walk across hot coals.

"I humiliated her, so she wants to humiliate me." He snarled, beginning to stagger away.

"Where are you going?" One of his friends called after him. They didn't get an answer though; he just staggered away, disappearing into the city.

Over at JKP, Master Finn and Dom were just finishing with the lunch crowd when RJ came back with Johnny and Liv. Dom just rolled his eyes.

"You timed that to perfection." He said sarcastically. "I notice you managed to arrive AFTER the lunch service."

"That is a total coincidence." RJ replied with a feigned innocence. "The kids worked really hard. I'm proud of them both."

"So, how was it?" Master Finn asked them. "Do I have any new sharks?"

"Mine is a bull spirit." Johnny told him. "I kind of pushed a little too hard at first, but we're getting along better now."

"I've not quite got there yet." Liv informed him with a little sadness in her voice as she stared at her feet. "I've felt her, but she's just a little nervous."

"It'll come when it's ready." Master Finn assured her, putting an arm around her. "I'm confident you'll get there in the end."

"Anyway, unless I'm very much mistaken, there are a couple of people waiting upstairs for us." RJ commented.

"OK, I'll see you..."

"Not so fast Johnny." RJ interrupted him, grabbing the huge teenager by the back of his shirt as he tried to leave. "Remember that little chat we had in the woods? You still have to talk to Lily remember?"

Johnny reluctantly went with them as they headed up the stairs to the apartment. They found Lily there, preparing something for dinner while David sat in a play pen, playing with some blocks. His face lit up as he saw them.

"Dada!" He yelled loudly, reaching up with his arms. RJ went over to the play pen lifting him out.

"I missed you too little guy." He said softly as he kissed him. "Is that steak I smell?"

"I kind of wanted to do something special for you." She told him. "Johnny, are you staying?"

"That's actually something I needed to talk to you about." Johnny said nervously, beginning to stroke his neck. He looked to Liv, who just smiled and nodded in support. "It's about me and Liv."

"You and Liv?" Lily asked him.

"We've been having strong feelings for each other for a while now." Liv added, coming to his side and taking his hand softly. "We only just figured it out recently."

"I know how much you care about her, and I just wanted you to know that I have nothing but respect for her, and for you." Johnny told her. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me, so it's really important to me that you know, and you're cool with this."

Lily looked at RJ, who just nodded to confirm that they had already spoken with him.

"Alright, I really appreciate you telling me." Lily told them.

"I already talked through a couple of ground rules with them." RJ informed her. "One of them was that it had to be alright with you."

Lily just smiled and hugged Liv warmly, releasing her, before looking up at Johnny.

"How did you think I'd feel?" She asked her. "I only want you to be happy. If that's what you want, I won't stand in the way."

She turned to Johnny, smiling at him.

"I had a feeling something was forming between you two." She commented. "You're a good kid Johnny; I know you won't do anything to hurt her."

"I promise I won't." He replied.

"So, are you staying for dinner?" She asked him. He thought about it for a second.

"I should probably be getting back to Uncle Vinnie's place." He replied.

"Are you sure, I'd really like you to be a part of this." Lily told him. Johnny smiled brightly.

"I'll just go and call him." He told her. "I guess steak does sound good."

Meanwhile, outside, Mike was sitting in his car on the other side of the street. Loud music was playing on his CD player, drowning out his thoughts. As a result of this, he had lost everything. He had been kicked out of school, his mom had taken his allowance, and his girlfriend had left him.

His affair with Ms. Tenant had made things so easy. With the tests he was getting from her, he had earned a considerable sum from fellow students, selling the tests to those who like himself had no interest in working or studying for their grades.

When Ms. Tenant had told him that Dr. Jennings was going to report the matter to the education authority, he had thought that simply destroying his career would be enough to take the heat off. He hadn't counted on Liv, Johnny and Mrs. Martin getting involved and interfering on his behalf.

Now though, all he could feel was the weight of his humiliation and anger. He had seen RJ coming back with Liv and Johnny a little while ago, and now he found himself staring up at the window, watching the warm glow of the lights. He briefly saw Lily at the window, before RJ came over behind her, wrapping his arms around her. A tear ran down his face as he remembered a time when his own parents had been like that. Now though, he was lucky to hear from his father more than a couple of times a year.

He pulled out his cell phone, hitting speed dial yet again.

"This is Karl Bishop. I'm not in right now, please leave a message..." He hung up on the answering machine and threw his phone away in frustration. He had tried to call his dad several times since his mother had blown up at him over his expulsion, hoping that, as usual, his father would somehow be able to bail him out. He had told his mother he wanted to move out, to go and live with his father. She had just told him that if he wanted to go, all he'd have to do is ask him...presuming he would take his calls.

Looking up to the apartment again, it felt like they were taunting him with their close, caring family. Back when he had been lying to Liv, stringing her along, he very quickly became aware of how much they meant to each other. While he had been doing all he could to try and alienate her from them, a part of him envied her for having a family that was so loving and warm.

Throwing back some more vodka and wiping his tears with his wrist, he reached into his glove box, pulling out an automatic pistol, chambering the first round, before getting out his car, the gun in one hand, the bottle of vodka in the other and made his way towards the restaurant.


	130. Dangerous Situation

Johnny settled back in his chair, cradling his stomach as he finished his meal. He was thankful for his decision to stay for dinner after all.

"The steak was fantastic Mrs. James." He said with a huge grin on his face. "Thank you for inviting me."

"It's no problem Johnny; we wanted you to be a part of this." She replied, waving it off.

"Would you like a ride home?" RJ asked him. "It looks like the weather's turning."

"I'll be fine RJ." He responded with a small smile. "I should definitely be getting home though. My uncle was pretty intent that I get my stuff into the laundry tonight."

"I'll just show you out." Liv told them. Lily nodded as Liv got up to take him to the door. She smiled and leant in, whispering to RJ.

"They look really good together don't you think?" She asked him.

"I guess." RJ sighed. "I'm just starting to wonder why everyone that works in JKP ends up dating or getting married."

"We met there." Lily recalled, thinking about it. "Casey and Camille did, so did Theo and Fran...Gabby and Dom..."

"I'm thinking of renaming this place 'the love shack' and charging people to work here." He said with a small laugh as he watched them looking into each other's eyes, exchanging a couple of quiet goodbyes. "Seriously, I have a better hit rate than most of those relationship sites."

"My husband the matchmaker, what's the world coming to?" She laughed, taking David out of his high chair. She watched as Johnny bent down, kissing her deeply. After a minute, RJ just gave a small cough, interrupting them.

"Liv, you should probably clean up before bed." He told her. She just gave Johnny another small smile before heading towards the main bathroom. Just then, everyone looked around in fright as the door flew inwards, kicked almost off its hinges. David screamed in fright as this happened, and RJ started to head towards the door, but stopped as Mike came in, levelling his gun at him. He could see the bottle in his hand, and smell drink on his breath. It was clear that he wasn't thinking straight. RJ just held up his hands.

"Nobody make any sudden moves." RJ told them all, keeping his eyes on the deranged teenager in the hopes that he could resolve the situation without anyone getting hurt. "Alright kid, what are you doing here?"

"I got expelled!" He told them. "My life's over!"

"Calm down Mike." Liv told him, starting to come back into the room. Johnny was just a little way behind her. "We..."

"Nobody come any closer!" He screamed at her. Johnny started to move, trying to get into a position to come between Liv and Mike, but he waved the gun wildly. "I said stop moving!"

"Alright, no one's moving." RJ told him. "Mike isn't it? What are you doing here?"

"I've been kicked out of school!" He told them. "They expelled me because of the tests. Now I've got nothing!"

"Alright, clearly you're upset." RJ said calmly, painfully aware of the fact Mike kept turning this way and that, the gun shifting between some of the people who meant the most to him in the world. He didn't wear his morpher habitually anymore, and he knew Lily wouldn't have hers with her. He couldn't risk making him panic, not when he was already messed up, and clearly drunk. "Now put the gun down and we can talk about this..."

"Talk about what?" He roared. "Talk about the fact that my future is to work in the brewery for the rest of my life? To spend my days shifting kegs and pallets for a crappy wage like all the other losers?"

"Things might look bad now, but that doesn't have to be the end of things." Lily told him as she tried to calm David. "Just because you were expelled doesn't mean you can't graduate, you just..."

"Where can I go?" He asked her. "With a cheating accusation on my permanent record, what school worth going to is going to want me? I may as well get a diploma printed on toilet paper for all it'll be worth!"

"So what does any of this have to do with us?" RJ asked him.

"That teacher Mrs. Martin caught us. She's the one that made Ms. Tenant admit everything." He explained, turning the gun back towards Liv and Johnny. "She only did it after THEY found Dr. Jennings!"

"Mike..."

"You made her do it!" He screamed, interrupting her. "Everything's been going wrong since you two got into my business! You did all of this!"

"Mike..."

"You ruined my life!" He spat as tears ran down his face. RJ lunged for him, grabbing his wrist, trying to wrestle the gun off him. Everyone stopped stock still as the gun went off.

Down in the restaurant, everyone paused, unable to do anything as they heard the shot. There was no way anyone could mistake what it was.

"Did that come from the apartment?" Finn asked Dom. The two of them ran upstairs, finding the door to the apartment locked.

"What's going on in there?" Dom yelled, pounding on the door. "Let us in!"

"No one comes in!" Mike yelled. "If anyone comes in here, people die!"

"Shit!" Dom snapped as he and Master Finn were left with no option but to retreat back down the stairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Master Finn asked him.

"I'll call the cops; you close the restaurant and get everyone out." Dom instructed him as he made his way to the phone. As he heard the dial tone, the only thought that ran through his mind was hoping that no one was killed by that first shot.

Back in the apartment, Lily cradled David in her arms, struggling to calm him as tears ran down her face. Liv had run over to where RJ had fallen on the floor, holding the wound in his stomach where the bullet had torn through his flesh. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she held her hands as tightly over his stomach as she could. There was so much blood, it was everywhere. Her hands were covered in it. Johnny had his arm around her, trying to comfort her as much as he could. Mike meanwhile was pacing the room, whimpering pathetically as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Mike you've got to give this up!" Liv sobbed as she leant over RJ. "Dad's really hurt; we need to get him to a hospital!"

"Shut up!" He screamed at her. "Just shut up and let me think!" He took another long slug from the vodka bottle as he started to shake uncontrollably in a combination of adrenaline from the shooting, and panic as he watched the man he had just shot bleeding.

"Mike, put the gun down. This has gone too far already!" Lily told him. "Please, my husband's hurt. He could die, please, let me get him help. I love him..."

"I can't think with all this screaming!" He yelled at her. "Just shut him up!"

Just then, the phone started to ring. Mike looked at it in a panic.

"It's probably the police." Johnny told him. "You did just fire a gun in the middle of the city."

"Answer it!" Mike demanded, gesturing to Johnny. He went over, picking up the phone reluctantly.

"Hello." He answered.

"This is Lieutenant Kirkdale of the OBPD." He began. "We're here about the gunshot incident. Who am I speaking to?"

"Johnny Mancusso." He replied. "I'm not the one with the gun."

"I want to hear!" Mike warned him. "Put it on speaker!"

"I'm just putting it on speaker." Mike told the officer, before putting the phone back on the cradle.

"This is Lieutenant Kirkdale of the OBPD." He introduced himself to the teenager. "To the person with the gun, I just want to talk. Who am I speaking to?"

"Mike Bishop." He told him, pacing again and trying to think about his position. He now knew that the police were here. It was now that he started to panic again. He had seen enough television to know that now it looked like a hostage situation. He had shot someone, and he was keeping everyone in the room. He could almost imagine sharpshooters moving into position across the street, looking for a clear shot.

"Do you mind if I call you Mike?" He asked.

"I've seen TV, I know what this is!" Mike yelled back. "I know you're just trying to keep me talking till you can put a bullet in me!"

"Calm down Mike, no one wants to see things end that way." Lieutenant Kirkdale told him in a soothing voice. "I just want to talk to you and see if there isn't a way we can end this without anyone getting hurt."

"It's a bit late for that!" Liv snapped.

"Shut up!" Mike roared, pointing the gun at her.

"Is that true Mike? Has someone been hurt?" Kirkdale asked him.

"It was an accident." Mike told him. "The owner struggled to get my gun from me...it just went off!"

"How is he?" Kirkdale asked him.

"There's blood everywhere!" He told him. "He's still alive..."

"Alright Mike, now no one's dead, we can all get out of this before anyone else gets hurt." Kirkdale told him. "If you'll just put down the gun and let me send in some people to take care of the owner, we'll see about helping you."

Mike just took another swig of vodka as he tried to think. He was still unsure about this. He was still convinced that they were just trying to lull him into a false sense of security. He heard a click, obviously the secrecy function being activated so Kirkdale could talk to someone without him hearing. Possibly they were telling him some background information, or maybe he was co-ordinating an effort to take him down.

"Mike, we've managed to contact your mother." Kirkdale told him. Mike's face noticeably changed as he heard this. He turned red and began to shake. Clearly this was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"I don't want to talk to her!" He screamed. "That bitch is the reason for all of this!"

"Mike, my husband is bleeding to death." Lily told him. "Please, let the police help him, I love him..."

"You say that now, but one day you'll leave him!" He yelled at her. "You'll take half of what he has and walk out. You'll drive him away from his kids!"

"Mike..."

"You'll tear his heart out and cause him to leave!" He screamed at him. "You'll ruin everyone's lives for your own selfish gain!"

"Mike what are you talking about?" Johnny asked him. "You don't even know Mrs. James."

"It's what mom did to dad!" He yelled. "It's what they all do! They're all intent on destroying everyone's lives!"

"Mike, you need to calm down." Johnny told him.

"First mom drives dad away, and then that little bitch there drives her dad to kill himself!" He continued to rant, flicking the gun in Liv's direction again. "Mrs. Martin got me kicked out of school, and now my mom's planning to put me on the fast track to the ghetto!"

"Mike, we need to get him to a hospital!" Lily screamed at him. "Just put the gun down!"

"I can't think with everyone yelling at me!" He screamed, bringing his hands to his ears. "Will you shut that God Damned baby up?"

"He's screaming because he's scared Mike, we all are!" Lily cried back, wiping away some tears. "You're waving a gun around and you just shot his dad, how do you think she feels?"

"Just shut him up!" Mike yelled, turning the gun towards Lily and the baby. At that moment, a massive surge of energy rushed out of Liv as she screamed in rage seeing the man who had shot her dad turn a gun on her mom and her little brother. It formed into a glowing white badger, rushing into Mike and smashing him into the wall so forcefully, he collapsed to the floor unconscious. Johnny held her as she became lightheaded, coming close to passing out from the strain. Lily kicked the gun away.

"Mike's down!" Johnny called through the phone. "It's safe to come in!"

Within a couple of minutes, SWAT police stormed the building, quickly securing Mike. An officer came over to where RJ was lying on the floor, taking over from Liv holding his wound.

"He passed out a few seconds ago." Liv told him as Johnny took her in his arms. "Please take care of him."

"Send in the paramedics." He called through his radio. "You've done very well here. I think you may have just saved Mr. James..."

"Dad." She corrected him. "He's my dad."

"I'm sure your parents will be very proud of you." He told her with a smile. A couple of paramedics arrived, working to stabilize RJ as Johnny took her away from him. He didn't care about the blood on her hands or her clothes. All he wanted was to calm her down while they worked to save RJ.

"I want to go with him." Lily told them. "Liv..."

"Grandpa and Dom are outside." She reminded her. "We'll take care of David until you get back."

Lily nodded in understanding, handing the boy to Master Finn as he came in at last, before following the paramedics out of the apartment.

"He will be you know." Johnny whispered to her as he kissed Liv's forehead softly. "He'll be proud of you. I know I am."

"I couldn't lose my family." She sniffed. "Not again."


	131. After the Shot

Lily was sitting in the hall of the Ocean Bluff hospital by the time Master Finn arrived. It was understandable that she was upset. It had now been only a little over an hour since she had watched her husband, the only man she had ever truly loved, being shot. Her eyes were still sparkling a little, and the lids puffed up. Red streaks tan down her cheeks, the result of almost constant tears as a result of what had happened. Seeing her father-in-law, she got up slowly, gesturing for a hug, which he was only too happy to give her.

"Swoop and Phant came around to watch the kids." He informed her. "I had to come. Has there been any news?"

"The doctors are still operating on him." Lily informed him. "They're trying to remove the bullet."

"The cops took Johnny home a little while ago. The cops have already taken statements from the kids. There are a couple of officers down the hall who want to talk to you about what happened."

"I'll talk to them once I hear something about RJ." She told him. "How are the kids holding up?"

"They've been incredibly brave. Johnny stayed with Liv until he was sure she was alright." Master Finn told her quietly. "She's taking really good care of her little brother. She's an amazing woman."

"She saved our lives." Lily told him. "She saved all our lives."

"I felt her animal spirit." He responded with a nod of understanding. Lily just wiped her nose with her sleeve. "The kid's done well."

"Better than her mom." Lily replied a little sadly. "If I'd just..."

"Lily, some kid was waving a gun around like a maniac." Master Finn interrupted her. "You were scared, and you knew you shouldn't..."

"I don't give a damn about keeping my powers under wraps Finn." She told him, looking a little angry. "That kid could have killed my kids, or my husband! If I'm not meant to use my powers to defend my family, then what's the point in having them?"

"Lily, you know we aren't meant to escalate a battle." Master Finn stated as he released her. "If you'd used your animal spirit, you could have killed him. He's probably only survived because Liv's is still so young."

"Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing." She muttered under her breath. Master Finn grabbed her, turning her to face him, looking into her eyes intently.

"You don't mean that Lily!" He snapped at her. "He's a kid! A seriously messed up, dangerous kid..."

"My husband is in an OR as we speak getting a bullet taken out of his stomach!" She replied. "The doctors still don't know if he's going to make it or not. Excuse me if I'm finding it a little hard to feel sorry for putting the bullet in him."

"How you're feeling is natural, it's instinct, I understand that." Master Finn assured her. "Believe me, I'd have found it hard not to want to tear him apart myself. RJ's my son, but this isn't you. You can't give up on your humanity."

"I can't lose him." Lily sobbed as he held her closely. "It isn't fair Finn, all that time, all those monsters we've faced, and in the end, I could end up losing him to some kid with a gun!"

"He'd have done it no matter what the risks." Master Finn told her proudly. "That's the kind of man he is.

"I just wish..."

"Johnny told me what happened. You were holding David at the time." Master Finn reminded her. "Do you really think he'd have wanted you to put him in danger?"

"No." She sighed, releasing him. Just then, they saw Michelle talking to a member of the surgical team. She finished up what she was doing, before coming towards them. She smiled as she approached them.

"The surgery went without a hitch. The team's really happy with how things went." She told them.

"How is he?" Master Finn asked her.

"The bullet didn't hit anything vital. They were able to repair the damage." She informed them. "We've given him some blood, and we're all really confident. He's in good health and he's really strong. We're moving him to the ICU overnight for observation, and then we'll probably move him to recovery after that."

"Can I see him?" Lily asked her. Michelle nodded.

"I'll just get him settled in the ICU and then I'll let you see him for a while." She replied sympathetically. "I'll get a room made up for you if you want to stay."

"I'd appreciate that." Lily told her. "Finn, could you call the others and tell them what's going on?"

"I'll do that." He assured her as he turned and left them. Lily sat back down, waiting for Michelle to tell her when she could see her husband. She watched as the gurney was rolled out of the OR, carrying RJ's unconscious body towards the ward. She couldn't help feeling a crippling fear creeping into her heart as she saw him. She couldn't bear to see him so weak, so vulnerable. It wasn't fair that this was happening to them.

Over at JKP, Master Phant was just finishing up on the phone. He smiled as he hung up.

"RJ's come out of the operating theatre." He told Master Swoop. The Bat Master just gave him a slight smirk. "Oh, right, of course YOU could hear the phone from there."

"RJ's the strongest student I ever taught. I knew he'd make it." Swoop told him. Master Phant came over to the easy chair where he was waiting. He cast a glance over to the couch where Liv was curled up under a blanket, holding David softly. Both of them were now sleeping soundly, having long since lost out to exhaustion. Liv had been keeping David calm while she waited for news. She was determined to wait until she could hear what was going on, but the night had taken its toll on her. "I knew her animal spirit was strong, I sensed it months ago."

"She's been through a lot, but I know she'll be fine." Master Phant told him, feeling his heart warming as he saw her hugging David. It was a scene he wished he could have seen under different circumstances, but it was heart warming to see her so attentive to her new brother.

The following morning, Fran was woken up by her radio alarm clock, groaning as she heard the news. Master Finn had called everyone the night before to inform the others what had happened. Of course it was no surprise that the following morning the shooting at JKP was easily one of the biggest stories in town. The media had descended the moment the police scanners had told them of a gunshot being heard in that area of town. They had then systematically been updating their story during the night.

The police and paramedics had been, as expected, tight-lipped, refusing to comment. However, that didn't stop them speculating or finding those who were willing to comment with usually dramatically exaggerated accounts of what had happened. So far the only detail they had confirmed correctly was the victim, having seen him being removed from the building.

She went to the crib, picking up Algie and checking on him, before unrolling the changing mat as Theo went to the shower.

"Full load this morning." Fran commented quietly as she held the diaper at arm's length, putting it in a bag and depositing it in a trash can. "I guess I can't blame you. This business has me pretty scared too."

The phone rang at that point, and she turned to ask Theo to get it, but realised he was in the shower. It was just at full stretch, but she just managed to get it and answer.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Martin, this is Mr. Weaver. I'm from the education department." He greeted her. Fran rolled her eyes as she continued to clean up her son, a little frustrated by the way everything seemed to come at once. She had hoped that it would be Lily or Finn with the news that RJ had regained consciousness. They had heard he was out of surgery before they went to bed. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm a little preoccupied at the moment." She told him honestly. "Can I help you with something?"

"Sorry to call so early, I just wanted to let you know I'd be at the school when you arrive." He told her. "I'm the temporary Principal."

"Oh, right, I guess you want me to show you around..."

"Actually I already know the school pretty intimately." He told her. "I just heard about the incident last night, and I understand you're connected to the family involved."

"Um...ok." She replied, a little confused by this. How did he know she was friends with them?

"I was just wondering if you were coming in today." He explained. "I would understand if you wanted to take some personal time. I understand you're still owed some maternity leave anyway..."

"Wait..." She wanted to ask how he knew so much about what was going on, but instead she decided to drop it. There was already so much going on, she could do without a new mystery. "What about the English classes?"

"I'm sure the kids would be fine for today, and I could sort a substitute." He told her. "So are you coming in?"

"To be honest, I could use something to keep my mind occupied." Fran told him honestly. "I'll be in as scheduled."

"No problem, I understand." He answered. "I'm calling a full school assembly first thing to stamp out any rumours around this mess. I'll see you there Fran."

As he hung up, Fran just stared at the phone. How did he know people called her Fran? Her name on her record was Francine, but no one called her that. How did he know so much? Theo came in, drying himself off.

"Fran, I think you're meant to put on a new diaper once you're finished." He said with a small chuckle as he took over, seeing that she was distracted. "Who was that?"

"It was the new temporary Principal." She told him. "He was just telling me there would be an assembly before classes this morning."

Over at the hospital, Lily was shaken awake by a nurse in her room.

"Your husband's awake." She informed Lily with a smile. "He's asking for you."

"Take me to him." Lily responded, getting out of the bed. The nurse led Lily down the hall to the recovery room, fixing herself up as much as she could for the first time he'd see her since he had lost consciousness the night before. She came into the room, finding another nurse arguing with him as she adjusted his drip.

"I keep telling you Mr. James, the doctor said no solid food until your stomach's had a chance to heal." She reprimanded him. RJ was about to say something until he saw Lily. The Yellow Ranger laughed a little as she saw this. The nurse shook her head gently as she came to Lily's side.

"Your husband is impossible!" She grumbled.

"Tell me about it." Lily replied as she left to continue on her rounds. Lily came over to his bed side, taking his hand softly. "I see you're feeling better if you're already giving the nurses a hard time."

"You know I make a lousy patient." RJ muttered. "Can you believe they want to feed me through IV for two days? Two days with no real food? I'll go nuts!"

"Just do as the doctors tell you." Lily warned him. "So what did they say about the wound?"

"They said that there isn't any major permanent damage." He informed her. "There'll probably be a scar though."

"If that's the worst of your injuries, then I'll be happy." She said with a smile.

"So where are the kids?" He asked her.

"Master Phant and Master Swoop are taking care of them." Lily informed him. "I'll call them and have them come in to visit this afternoon."

"How's Liv?" He asked her. "How's she holding up?"

"She's been really strong through all of this." Lily stated proudly with a big smile. "You should be proud of her."

"I am." He told her. "I saw what happened just before I passed out. I guess the dye job she did on her hair makes a little more sense."

"Our little badger." Lily commented. "I couldn't be prouder of her."

"So, any chance of smuggling in..."

"I am not smuggling you in food!" Lily interrupted him. RJ just smiled.

"It was worth a shot." He conceded with a shrug, before pulling her in, kissing her softly.

Fran arrived at the school, finding the kids milling around, talking. Normally she'd have thought nothing of it, but on this occasion, it was different. The kids were hardly ever terribly interested in local news, but today pretty much everyone was carrying newspapers. She could guess what the main topic of discussion would be. She heard a small cough behind her, and turned to see a man standing behind her. He was a few inches taller than her, not much more, and quite skinny. He was wearing faded blue jeans, and a t-shirt, over which he was wearing a letterman jacket in the school's colours. He had soft, light brown hair and emerald green eyes. He looked like he was a few years older than her, and he looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Good morning Fran." He greeted her. "I'm Donald Weaver."

"Fran Martin." She replied, shaking his hand. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

"Oh, the clothes, I don't think a suit will really endear me to the kids right now." He interrupted her, making his way inside, looking around the halls. She saw a slight look of wonder on his face as he walked through the building. "So, I was planning on a little rumour control. I'm not going to tell the kids everything of course, but I just wanted to tell them about Ms. Tenant's resignation. I don't want kids connecting the dots, so I was going to make sure I emphasised that wasn't anything to do with Mike Bishop's expulsion or the subsequent incident at JKP."

"That sounds like it's for the best." She replied as they stopped by the trophy cabinet. "I'm sorry, but how do you know my name?"

"You really don't remember me do you?" He asked her. He pointed in the trophy cabinet to a picture of the football team picking up the championship in her freshman year. The names were inscribed under the picture.

"Donald Weaver." She gasped. "Donny Weaver? You're Donny Weaver?"

"We met your first day here." He reminded her. "If I remember rightly I rescued you from your locker."

"Yeah, I kind of remember that." She said with a little blush. "You were the king of the school, but you were kind to me when no one else was."

"I remembered what it was like being a freshman." He said with a shrug. "It's never easy being the bottom of the totem pole."

"Well I guess I don't have to ask what you've been doing with yourself." Fran stated with a smile. "So I'm guessing you heard about Dr. Jennings."

"We've been writing to each other since I graduated." He informed her. "When all this happened and I was asked to come down here, I called him to get the head's up."

With that, he went into the Principal's office, making his way to the desk. He picked up the microphone for the public announce system.

"Would all students and staff please report to the gym for a full assembly?" He announced, before putting the mike back down. He smiled as he looked up at Fran. "Isn't it amazing how different this place looks from this side?"

"You get used to it." She replied with a smile as he accompanied her on their way to the gym.

Meanwhile, in an apartment in another part of town, Ms. Tenant was busy reading through the newspaper, checking on the situations vacant section. Since her resignation, she was now in need of somewhere else to work. Of course, she knew that it was pointless to ask the education department about a new post. While they had allowed her to resign, and had not allowed her affair with Mike to become public knowledge to avoid a scandal, she knew that they would never offer her another position in a school.

She had qualifications and no black marks on her CV that were public knowledge, so her situation and employment prospects could look worse, she still seethed with anger as she thought about how she had been forced into confessing to the education authority.

As she folded the paper, preparing to put it aside, she caught a look at the headline. She wasn't really a huge fan of television, or radio and so hadn't heard about the incident at JKP yet. She read the story with interest. As soon as she read Mike's name, she knew that she would be hearing from his mother again. She had called her once Mike had confessed to their affair. Mrs. Bishop had screamed at her for over an hour about how she had betrayed their friendship. She was sure she'd be hearing from her again.

When she read on, she got a sick smile as she read the names of the family affected by it. She knew that Olivia was one of the ones who lived there. The victim was listed as Robert James, the man whose name she had taken on recently. She was sure she had even heard some rumours that they were in the process of trying to adopt her.

She knew that Olivia meant a lot to Fran, she had been the first of the kids she had helped when she took on her position. She picked up the phone, dialling as she read the paper again.

"Hello, is this child services? I'd like to file a report relating to a child I believe could be at risk." She told them. "Her name is Olivia James."


	132. The Letter

Fran was sitting in the front row of chairs that the janitorial staff had set up in the main hall of the school with the rest of the staff, awaiting the beginning of the assembly. She understood the necessity for Donny, the new temporary Principal to hold assembly to talk about the weekend's happenings to quell any destructive rumours, but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking, especially since having once attended this school, she knew how often the rumour mill was dangerously close to the mark. The students filed in quietly, guided by the hall monitors and lined up according to years. There was a small murmur among them as they took a seat. Obviously this story was easily the hottest news in town, never mind the school. Eventually, Donny came out onto the stage, still dressed in his jeans, t-shirt and letterman jacket. Fran took a little amusement in the fact he wasn't joking when he said he wanted to address the students like that to ease them. He stepped up to the podium and tapped the mike twice to ensure it was on. He put a handful of magazines down on the podium and held up a hand.

"Excuse me for a moment." He told them, before walking off stage again. He came back a few seconds later, carrying a metal trash can and a jerry can. The students remained silent as he poured petrol from the jerry can into the trash can, before setting it down.

"I wanted to address you today to inform you of the facts surrounding a few things that happened over the course of this weekend. The first thing I want to state is that as of this weekend, Ms. Tenant has tendered her resignation with immediate effect. The education authority would like to wish her well in her future endeavours. Until a replacement is found, I will be acting in her stead. My name is Donny Weaver..." He began, smiling as his speech was cut off by a cheer from the jocks who obviously recognised his name. He was something of a school legend. "I see some of you have heard of me. Yes, I am Donny 'Snake Hips' Weaver, the former Wide Receiver of Ocean Bluff's last championship football team, though having taken a look at your stats, I hope it won't be too long before that changes."

Fran smiled and nodded as the entire assembly cheered. She didn't care about football really, but he had connected with the students and gotten their attention. His ploy was working perfectly.

"The jacket isn't a fashion statement, I once walked these hallowed halls just like you, I took the same classes, and indeed I see a few familiar faces among the staff. Betty, I hope you don't mind still bending the rules and giving me a little extra pumpkin pie, I still haven't found one better." He announced, raising a small laugh from the students. "In all seriousness though, there are a few more things I would like to discuss. As you will all no doubt have noticed, three of your number are not here today, and by now I'm sure you'll have heard the news stories. I will confirm the facts that can be backed up. Mike Bishop, the captain of your wrestling team, I can confirm that as of Saturday, he was expelled from school as a result of disciplinary action."

There was a little murmur among the students. Fran noticed that he was sparing the details, and more than anything, avoiding connecting the dots for the students. The last thing they needed was for the whole thing to erupt into a soap opera.

"I can also confirm that it is true that he was involved in a violent incident yesterday afternoon involving two other students." He continued. "He has been detained by police. At present, no other details are available. I do not know if he has been charged, or if he will face trial. I simply trust that our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved."

There was another small murmur as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a book of matches, striking one. He threw it into the trash can, igniting the fuel inside.

"What will not help matters is rumour mongering and speculation. As such, here is a demonstration. This is a copy of Good Morning Ocean Bluff magazine." He held up the magazine, before throwing it into the barrel. "OB truth, I don't think so; Ocean View Tribuneral, OB Inquirer, I wouldn't use as toilet paper..."

He rhymed off the names of all the local magazines and newspapers as he threw them into the flames. As soon as he finished, he turned back to the crowd.

"I am not against the freedom of speech, or freedom of the press. I simply ask that you keep open minds and do not allow the media coverage of this incident to get in the way of your learning. I have no objection to you reading these 'newspapers', I simply ask you do not do so during class time." He concluded. "Now, I believe first period will end shortly, so if you would all please be so kind as to make your way to your second period class."

As the students started to file out of the room, the whispering noticeably reduced, Fran came over to Donny smiling.

"Well you handled that well." She told him.

"You know as well as I do how good the rumour mill is here. It's best not to lie." He explained with a shrug. "It's best to just...be exclusive with how much of the truth you tell."

"Listen, where are you staying?" Fran asked him. Donny gave her a cheeky grin.

"I thought you were a married woman now." He teased her. Fran just nudged him gently with her elbow.

"No, what I mean is, Theo and I have a couple of friends coming over for dinner tonight, just to say thank you for taking care of Algie." She told him. "I just wondered...since you're new in town and whatever..."

"Trust me, the place the education department's springing for is so crappy, I am not looking forward to sampling the cuisine." He replied with a laugh. "I'd be honoured to come to yours."

"Well I'm over at Sycamore..."

"Sycamore?" He asked her. "Did you win the lottery or something? Isn't that the rich kid's zip code?"

"It's a long story." Fran said, waving it off. She wrote her address down on an old receipt from her purse, before handing it to him. "Come around about seven. I'll call Theo and let him know you're coming."

"I look forward to it." He replied with a grin. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get to my office and pretend to do some work."

In another part of town, Master Finn and Michael were setting up the restaurant, covering for Lily and RJ when a woman in a dark trouser suit came in. She looked Michael up and down, her nose wrinkling a little as she viewed him.

"Are you Robert James?" She asked him abruptly. Michael straightened up, a little taken aback. The woman was younger than him, though addressed him like a child. He didn't back down, shaking his head.

"I'm his father-in-law." He corrected her. "Michael Chilman."

"Well, if you could just ensure he and his wife get this." She replied, thrusting an official-looking envelope into his hands. "Good day."

As she stormed out, Michael looked at the envelope. Master Finn came over, looking over his shoulder.

"What is it?" He asked him.

"I don't know." Michael replied honestly. "I just wish I did."

In Ocean Bluff Hospital, RJ's doctor was just finishing checking him over when Lily knocked on the door, peeking her head around. The doctor waved them in.

"Now this is medicine I can prescribe." He said with a smile. "Family is easily better than any treatment I can administer."

As he left, Lily came in, carrying David. Liv was following them a little way behind, almost hiding behind Lily. RJ reached his arms out as Lily Handed David to him.

"How are you little guy, I've really missed you." He whispered, holding his son gently and kissing his forehead. He could see Liv retreating a little behind Lily and looked over to her. He moved David over to one arm, and extended the other to her, gesturing her in. Liv smiled broadly, throwing herself at him, burying her face in his chest as she hugged him. RJ flinched slightly.

"Hey, I only had a bullet removed last night." He reminded her. She got up slightly, looking at him regretfully.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. This is the best I've felt in hours kiddo." RJ assured her. He ruffled her hair with his hand. "You saved all our lives. I'm really proud of you."

"I'm sorry I didn't..."

"Hey, it's easy to think about all the things we could have done after the event." RJ told her. "I know wrestling with a guy carrying a gun wasn't the best idea. I'm just glad all of you are safe."

"If we had dealt with Mike differently, if things..."

"If things had gone differently they could have been worse." RJ reminded her. "The police had an armed response team outside. We all know how that could have ended."

"I just wish you hadn't gotten hurt." She told him.

"Hey, another scar on this body just adds to my rugged charm." He said with a smile. "Besides, I'm sure the time will come when Lily and I can look at it..."

"Ew...please don't!" Liv shrieked, covering her ears. RJ just laughed and hugged her again.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He told her. "I mean it, I couldn't be prouder of you."

"Thanks dad." She whispered, returning the gesture with a huge smile on her face. Despite how things had gone, she was happy. She still had a family.

Over at Fran's house, Theo came back with Algie in his arms. Casey led Holly in by the hand, Camille a little way behind her.

"It's just a shame Susan wasn't feeling so good." Theo commented. "We really wanted to thank you all for taking Algie on such short notice."

"Hey, it's all about the pack right?" Casey asked him. "How are things going on that front?"

"Dr. Jennings seems to be doing well." Theo told them. "It'll be another few weeks yet, but it sounds like this is what he needed."

Just then, Fran came in, closing the door behind her. She dumped her bag just inside the door.

"Theo, sorry to drop this on you, but we're expecting one more for dinner." She told him.

"It's alright; Susan isn't feeling so good, so she and Jarrod have dropped out." Casey assured her.

"So who are we expecting?" Theo asked her.

"It's the temporary principal." She informed him.

"You do know you're meant to leave your work at the office right?" Theo teased her.

"It's nothing like that. It turns out I knew him back in High School. He was in senior year when I was a freshman." She told him. "Mr. Weaver..."

"Wait, Weaver? As in Donny 'Snake Hips' Weaver?" Casey asked her, his eyes lighting up. Fran nodded in response. "That guy was a legend in High School Football! When I was back in San Fran, I was a huge fan! He still holds the local rushing record!"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Fran turned around, answering it to find Donny standing there. He had a bottle of red wine in his hand. He gave it to Fran, kissing her cheek.

"Sorry, I always arrive early." He told her. "Besides, I just had to see this kid of yours."

"Hi Donny, these are my friends." She told him. "This is Casey..."

"Casey Rhodes, the big baseball star from San Fran." He interrupted her, shaking his hand. "I'm half surprised you didn't end up in the majors."

"Life took a different turn." Casey responded with a childish glee, clearly flattered that Donny had heard of him. "This is my wife Camille, and my daughter Holly."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He replied, kissing Camille's hand before kneeling next to Holly. "Holly, that's a nice name."

"She was born on Christmas day." Camille explained. "It just seemed to fit."

"So by process of elimination, this must be your husband." Donny replied, shaking Theo's hand.

"Theo." He chipped in, bobbing Algie a little in his arm. "This is our son Algie."

"Do you mind?" He asked, gesturing to the boy. "I used to look after my little cousins all the time in high school. Of course, now they're all big moody teenagers."

Theo handed him over. They all felt relieved, seeing that Algie was completely at ease in his arms. Donny whispered to him gently before handing him to his father.

"He's beautiful, you both must be really proud." He told them, taking the wine from Fran. "So does anyone mind if I pour?"

"Only if you promise to tell your infamous story." Casey replied. Donny smiled, while Fran blushed a little.

"What story?" Camille asked him.

"This is the man who won the championship game with a very unique play." He replied. "Let me introduce you to the master of the porn star run!"

Over at JKP, Lily arrived back with Liv and David, finding her father and Master Finn. She handed David to his sister.

"Liv, would you mind putting him down for a couple of hours?" Lily asked her. Liv went, taking him with her. Michael pulled the letter off the pin board, handing it to her.

"Lily, this came for you and RJ while you were out." He told her. "It wasn't a postman or courier, I thought it seemed important."

Lily took the envelope and opened it, pulling out a letter. She read it, feeling all the colour draining from her face. She felt sick to her stomach after reading it for a second time, her knees becoming weak. Michael guided her to a seat as she held a hand over her mouth, a couple of tears beginning to form.

"What's happening?" He asked her. "Lily...?"

"It's from Child Services." She told him, handing him the letter to read. "Someone's reported concerns about Liv."

Michael put an arm around his daughter as she stared into space, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"After the shooting someone's reported concerns she's at risk. They've halted the adoption proceedings pending an investigation." She whimpered, struggling to keep her emotions in check. Michael pulled her in, hugging her tightly. "If they think there's anything to this, they're going to take Liv away."

Back at Fran's house, the night was well underway. Holly and Algie had finished with their dinner, and had been put down to sleep for a little while. The adults meanwhile, were being entertained by a few embarrassing anecdotes from Donny and Fran's past. Fran hadn't talked much about her past for understandable reasons, but Donny had a few amusing tales to tell that even she was able to laugh about, even if it did take a while. Now it was coming up to the main event, the promised story of the Porn Star Run.

"So it was only 1 minute on the clock in the final quarter. We were all out of time outs, and we were third and 15. We only had one shot, so the quarterback called for a statue of liberty." He explained as they all listened. "Anyway, after the snap, I took the ball and ran out wide. The defender got to me quickly, but he tackled me low. That's when he found out one important detail. I had forgotten to tie the draw string on my pants."

They all laughed, guessing the punch line. Donny shook his head, wiping away a tear of laughter.

"So he grabbed me, and pulled my pants clean off, but I was still on my feet, so I just kept running!"

"He wasn't wearing a cup." Fran informed them, recalling being at that particular game. The laughter got louder.

"Needless to say no one was interested in tackling me, but the ref didn't call it, so I got a 63 yard touchdown." He told them. "It's just as well they have face masks on those helmets, I was mortified! But still, knowing everyone was happy and already laughing, I did the only thing I could. I pulled off my jersey too and posed for the crowd. Of course, pretty quickly afterwards I ran off the field before the refs could catch up with me."

"I had a front row seat." Fran told them, giggling at the memory. "It was one of the few times in freshman year I laughed."

"Anyway, I should probably be going. The kids will be getting tired now." He told them.

"I'll call a cab..."

"It's alright; I could do with walking off some of that dessert." He interrupted his host. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, it was great meeting you all."

Fran showed him to the front door, at which he turned to look at her.

"This has been great; I can't believe you came back." Fran told him.

"How could I not?" He asked her. "You must have thought about how you could improve this place a million times when you went here. I know I did."

"Thank you for not telling them the real punch line to that story." Fran told him.

"I doubt it was the appropriate place to tell them you were on the goal line and got the best view of the Porn Star Run when your month old son is sleeping in the other room." He replied. He leaned in, kissing her cheek softly. "Thanks for this. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Fran replied, closing the door behind him as he left.


	133. A New Regieme

The following day, Liv whistled cheerfully as she came into the main room, finding Lily feeding David. She made her way over to the breakfast table, picking up some toast.

"You seem chipper this morning." Lily commented, noting her upbeat mood. She hadn't yet found a way to tell her about the investigation, and so at the moment Liv didn't know that child services were going to be trying to decide if JKP would be a safe environment for her. Given everything else that had happened over the last couple of days, she wanted to wait until the whole family were together to explain to her that it was possible they might have no option but to let them take her into care.

"Well why wouldn't I be? Dad's coming home today, I'm ahead in my course work and I finally get to meet this new principal." She explained, pouring herself some juice. "Not to mention what happens next week."

"Next week?" Lily asked her. Liv just rolled her eyes.

"Valentine's day?" She asked her. "I'm really looking forward to it this time around."

Lily just forced a smile. She hated the thought of ruining what was going to be a huge moment for Liv. It would be the first time she would be looking forward to Valentine's; being the first one she had with a boyfriend.

"So when are you picking him up?" Liv asked.

"They're giving him a check-up about midday." Lily told her. "He should be back here by the time you get home."

"I'll come straight home." Liv assured her with a huge grin. "Tell dad I was asking after him."

As she got up, heading out the door, Lily held her head in her hands, breathing a massive sigh. Liv had only just found her family, and things were really looking up for her. How could anyone think that taking her away would do any good?

Dom made his way through Ocean Bluff Park, finally finding Gabby sitting on a bench overlooking the pond. She had grown used to getting around on her crutches by herself, but for some reason she had asked him to meet her in the park. He sat down next to her, putting an arm around her.

"So what am I here to see?" He asked her.

"Dom, I've been thinking a lot about what happened to RJ." She told him, pulling into him. "Mike was pretty messed up, I remember him from when I was at High School."

"There isn't anything you could have done about that." He replied. Gabby shook her head.

"That isn't what concerns me. Johnny told me he got a gun before. He threatened him with it at the wrecker's yard and then again at the Cherry Harvest." She stated, pulling out some computer printouts. She handed them to Dom, showing him that it was newspaper archives, all of them relating to gun related crimes in Ocean Bluff. "He then got a gun AGAIN before he went to JKP. Do you realise that in the last four years there have been over 1000 gun related crimes in Ocean Bluff? 186 of them were fatal shootings, and of all of them 64 percent were committed by people under the age of 21."

"I hadn't realised it was such a problem." Dom responded, reading one of the articles. It was relating to a kid who had been arrested for shooting his best friend after finding out that his girlfriend had cheated on him. "I know the gun laws are pretty lax..."

"Well the thing is, I've done a lot of thinking and I've gone around town a few times, and I don't really think that's the problem." She told him. "You see that big tree over there? Mike and his friends met under there every night and drank."

"Lily said he was out his face when he went into the apartment." Dom recalled.

"Well I went through the mall and I saw something that happened there." She told him. "A bunch of kids were skateboarding and the cops moved them along. When I talked to them, they told me that there isn't a skate park on Ocean Bluff."

"You do know this isn't Blue Bay right?" Dom asked her. Gabby held up a hand and pulled out some more printouts.

"That's where you're wrong. It's just that no one's done the research. There's a huge X-games following here." She told him. "I talked to Tori and Kelly, and they said that about 30 percent of their mail order business goes to addresses in Ocean Bluff. The nearest skate park is a three hour drive from the city and they get loads of business from OB."

"What about the Motocross track?" Dom asked her.

"It's only open for competitions, the rest of the time it's closed because the city doesn't want to pay staff to supervise it full-time." She informed him. "Even the beaches are really strict. The council doesn't employ more than a few life guards at any one time, so despite the awesome surf, most of the beaches are no-surfing zones."

"You think if there were more facilities..."

"Maybe fewer kids would hang around the streets and get into trouble." Gabby concluded. "I had an idea."

"What kind of idea?" Dom asked her. Gabby looked a little sheepish as she prepared to tell him her idea.

"I was thinking of switching my major from law to business." She informed him. "I could transfer to a college in OB. I could do a lot of my courses online while I'm doing my physiotherapy, I wouldn't have to start from square one when I go, and I could study part-time."

"Part-time?" Dom asked her. "What would you do with the rest of your time?"

"Open Storm Chargers Ocean Bluff." She said with a smile. "The race track is just sitting there unused, and there's a lot of land around it. If I can convince dad that's it a good investment, there would be enough room to put up a shop and a skate park!"

"You've really given this a lot of thought haven't you?" Dom asked her. Gabby nodded.

"I already crunched some numbers and put together a portfolio." She informed him. "I was thinking of presenting it to dad. I just...kind of wanted you to be there when I did."

"Are you sure?" He asked her. "I mean, are you sure you really want to give up on law?"

"Dom, if I'm honest, all I've thought about since my accident was motocross. I wasn't all that worried about dropping out." She told him. "If I was really that set on law, surely missing out would mean more to me right?"

"But you really think Storm Chargers is the answer?" He asked her.

"Dom, with the exception of the wedding, this is the first thing I've been excited about since the accident." She said excitedly. "I really think this would be good for the city."

"I think it would be good for you too." He replied, hugging her tightly. "If you believe in this, then I'm behind you 100 percent."

Over at the school, Johnny was waiting outside the English class, looking around, scanning the hallways. Fran arrived, smiling as she saw him.

"I take it you're looking for Liv." She teased him. "When I called, Lily said she was coming back today."

"I can't wait to see her." Johnny told her. "I haven't seen her since RJ was shot."

"Well I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing you too." Fran told him. Just then, a hall monitor came by, handing Fran a stack of envelopes bound by a rubber band.

"What are these?" She asked him. The kid just shrugged.

"Mr. Weaver told me to hand these to all the teachers to distribute to their first period classes." He replied as he carried on his journey around the classrooms. Fran went inside, and took off the rubber band, looking through the envelopes. One had her name on it, but the others didn't have any names on them, so she presumed they were just circulars. She handed one to Johnny, who opened it and started reading. Fran opened her copy.

"I see he's looking to make himself popular." Johnny commented.

Fran read the letter with interest. While they had their suspicions who had bought tests, there was no way to tell with complete certainty, and so Donny had announced that in a fortnight, every class would subject their students to a series of make-up tests to address the issue of who deserved what grades.

"You know he has to do this." Fran told him. "He said it himself, it'll just cover all the stuff you've been doing all year. You've been doing the work; you'll have nothing to worry about."

"I just think it kind of sucks that I have to prove myself all over again." Johnny muttered. "I've been working my ass off all year, and just because a few rich kids take short cuts, I need to do this."

"Johnny, you have nothing to worry about." She assured him. "Besides, look on the bright side. You've been doing the work; you'll get the grade you deserve. Of course all those kids that have been cheating will have to work for their grades and get what they deserve. Everyone will be back on an equal footing."

"I suppose you're right." He sighed. "Maybe if I work hard, I can bump my scores up a few points."

"That's the attitude I like to hear." Fran said proudly as the other students started to file in. She handed the letters to Johnny to hand around. He first handed one to Liv as he began the rounds. "Students, there's an important letter being distributed to the students. Please read it now, we'll begin class in a few minutes."

Lily arrived at the hospital, finding the doctor just running the last of his checks on him. She could tell from the slightly relieved looks on the faces of the nurses helping him that he had been his usual self over his time under observation. He was such an active and healthy person that he hated feeling vulnerable, and she had personally experienced how much of a big baby he could be when he was the patient. The doctor finally satisfied himself, handing RJ a box of dressings.

"Alright Mr. James, you seem to be healing well." He said cheerfully. "Your wound's healing well, just try not to overdo it for the next week or so."

"So I can get back to exercising next week?" He asked the doctor. He just groaned.

"I told you, don't overdo it." He reiterated, holding out a list. "Here's a list of things I'd recommend you limit yourself to while your stomach heals. You don't want to push things too hard too early. Re-wrap your dressing after washing, after about a week, you probably shouldn't need them. You don't seem to be experiencing much pain, so I won't prescribe you anything, but if you experience discomfort and have trouble sleeping, then feel free to take a mild pain killer."

"I'll make sure he follows those instructions." Lily told the doctor, taking the list from him before RJ could object. "The car's around the front."

RJ pulled on his jacket, following Lily as she took him towards the car. RJ caught up, putting his arm around her.

"So how's the restaurant been?" He asked her. Lily just groaned, imagining him trying to ignore the doctor's orders and get back into work right away.

"Dad and Master Finn have been fine." She said quietly. "RJ, leave it alone. They'll manage without you for a couple of weeks."

"It's just..."

"RJ leave it alone!" She snapped a little forcefully. She pulled out the letter, handing it to him. "I'm sorry, it's just...this came by courier yesterday. We really need to talk about this."

RJ read the letter as they got to the door, making their way to the car in the parking lot. He looked at Lily in horror.

"Someone's filed a report with child services?" He asked her. He looked as worried as she had been, but rather than being upset, if anything he was angry, clearly offended at the suggestion that Liv could be in danger with them. "They're holding up the adoption?"

"They're going to do an investigation." Lily told him as she loaded David into his baby seat. "I haven't told Liv yet. I figured we should do that together."

Over at the school, Johnny and Liv were coming to the end of their day, having gym class last period. For members of the various sports teams, this was normally just an excuse for a little extra practice. For everyone else, they usually had a choice of running laps, or sitting quietly on the bleachers doing homework. Since he had quit the wrestling team, Johnny was taking the latter option with Liv. They were just working through some maths when a football landed between them, knocking their work off the bench.

"Hey nice pass Kevin!" Johnny yelled as the players laughed. "You see those pretty white sticks at the end of the field? I think it's those you're meant to be heading towards!"

"Why do I get the feeling that wasn't an accident?" Liv grumbled.

"The guys think I'm turning into a nerd now that I've quit the wrestling team." He told her as he heard something from the field.

"Don't let them get to you." Liv said sympathetically as she retrieved their books. Just then, Donny showed up, making his way out onto the field. Liv just gestured to him with a pencil. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised the new principal's in with the jocks."

"Well apparently he was one." Johnny reminded her. "I heard he was the star football player a few years ago."

The coach called in all the players, close to the bleachers.

"Kids, you don't know how lucky you are; your new principal was easily the most talented player this school's ever seen!" He addressed them, putting a hand on Donny's shoulder. "No doubt, our new principal's here to give us a message of support for our upcoming game against the Reefside Rampage!"

The players cheered, but Donny just held up his hands to calm them down.

"I did want to talk to you all about the game actually." He began. "I called the league and I called Reefside this morning to forfeit the game."

The players all looked around each other in disgust and started complaining loudly. The coach took Donny by the arm and took him around the side of the bleachers. Having heard this and being interested in hearing more, Liv came over closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Donny, what are you doing?" He asked him.

"Coach Andrews, you know as well as I do that all players have to maintain a C average to play." He reminded him flatly. "I've just checked your records, and most of the team is ineligible. I only found six players who are eligible to play, and unless I'm very much mistaken, that isn't enough to field a team."

"Donny, you know how these things work." Coach Andrews said quietly, moving closer. "The sports teams bring in a lot of sponsorships. The parents contribute to fundraisers. We can blur the lines a little, everyone does it."

"Well not here, not anymore." He replied sharply. "There are a lot of kids here who have been working very hard to earn their grades, and I will not demean their efforts by turning a blind eye to underachievers to win a trophy."

"But the team has the opportunity to get into the playoffs for the first time since you played!" Coach Andrews protested loudly. "The kids have been busting their asses out there all season!"

"You know as well as I do that they can still qualify even if they lose this game." Donny reminded him. "If they want to play, they can take make-up tests and get their grades up. Other than that, I have no reservations about calling the league and forfeiting every game for the rest of the season."

"You can't do this!" Coach Andrews yelled at him. "The parents will go nuts!"

"It's just as well I didn't take this job to be popular then." Donny replied. "These kids might be disappointed right now, but when they leave school with diplomas worth having, they'll thank me."

"I thought you knew how thing were." Coach Andrews sneered, looking at his former student in disgust. "You were on the team..."

"I worked for my grades and left school with a 3.8. That's why I'm now your boss." Donny interrupted him. "Do you remember your star quarterback Billy Manson? You smoothed things over for him to play? Well I saw him on my way into town. He's pumping gas for a living. He's got a bad back, both his knees are shot and he has no prospects of getting out of that job. It really looks like you did him a favour."

Coach Andrews just shook his head in disbelief and went back to the field to relay the bad news to the players that he couldn't sway the principal on his decision to cancel their upcoming game. Donny got a little smile on his face.

"So did you get all that Ms. James?" He asked. Liv jumped with a start, hitting the back of her head on the hand rail, rubbing the back of her head.

"How did you know?" Liv asked him. He just looked up to where she was sitting.

"I spent a fair amount of time eavesdropping on my teachers too." He informed her as he smiled. "So do you approve?"

"I don't think..."

"Please, feel free to say what you think." He told her. "I'm sure I'm going to be hearing a lot of opinions in the not too distant future."

"You're not going to be popular." She commented. "But for what it's worth, I heard what you said about the players and I agree. They have to get a C average for a reason."

"I'm glad I have at least one supporter." He replied with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to my office and get ready for a lot of angry phone calls."

As she watched him go, Liv went back to Johnny's side.

"So you were wrong about him." Johnny said, putting an arm around her.

"This time, I'm glad I'm wrong." She answered.

"Well he certainly is shaking things up around here." He stated.

"You know, after Ms. Jenkins, I think things are starting to look up." She said happily. "I have a feeling things are going to get really interesting around here."


	134. Actions Have Consequences

Donny left his office, running into Fran in the hallway. She was carrying a few folders in her arms, obviously the coursework she was intending to take home to complete.

"I heard about the football team." She told him as he locked up his office. "I can't imagine that went down well."

"I've already had angry calls from three parents, two sponsors and at least one member of the education board has brought up the suggestion of recalling me." He informed her. "I've put on the answering machine to handle the rest. I wanted to duck out to visit Dr. Jennings."

"I was thinking the same thing." She responded. "Umm...would you like a lift?"

"I actually have my own car." He informed her.

"Yeah, the red 70's Cadillac in the parking lot?" She asked him. "Your window doesn't have a direct view to the parking lot does it?" Donny just groaned and stroked the bridge of his nose.

"What have the little monsters done?" He asked her. Fran led him out the side door to where his car was waiting. The windscreen had been smashed, all four of the tyres had been slashed, and the headlamps were broken. Donny just laughed as he saw this.

"It never fails." He said in a deep chuckle. "It doesn't matter if it's Greenwich or Ocean Bluff; kids always have the same revenge plans."

"You don't mind?" Fran asked him, finding it curious that he didn't seem to get angry about the damage to his car.

"Let's just say it isn't the first time." He replied. "You know, I think I will take you up on that offer of a ride. I'll come back for this later."

"Don't you want to arrange a tow truck or something?" Fran asked him. Donny shrugged.

"It's not going anywhere." He responded. "Besides, a car this old, who'd want to steal it?"

Johnny and Liv arrived back at JKP, finding Master Finn and Dom clearing up, preparing for the evening service.

"How was service yesterday?" Johnny asked them a little regretfully. For obvious reasons, they had decided to give him the night off, and he knew that meant the others would have to pull together to cover. He had spent the night with his Uncle Vinnie fussing over him for a change. He obviously felt guilty that he hadn't been paying attention to Johnny, and had almost cost his sister's son his life as a result. Johnny had never spent so much time with his uncle without it descending into arguments.

"We were pretty busy, but we just about coped." Dom replied. "Johnny, would you mind changing in the bathroom? Liv, Lily and RJ want to see you upstairs."

Liv thought they just wanted to spend some family time together and thought nothing of it. She turned to Johnny, who bent down to kiss her, before making her way upstairs.

She went upstairs, finding RJ and Lily waiting for her, sitting at the dining room table. She smiled as she came over, but when she noticed that David wasn't in the room, and RJ and Lily didn't return the gesture, she realised that something was wrong. They weren't simply there to spend time with her to welcome RJ home.

"Liv, sit down." RJ said sadly. "There's something we really need to talk about."

Liv just took a seat, her chest feeling tight as she faced them. Whatever they wanted to say, it obviously wasn't good.

Fran and Donny were waiting in the visitor's lounge of the rehab clinic when Dr. Jennings came into the room. Fran smiled to see him. He had only been there for about a week of his six week course, but he already looked far healthier than she could remember him. He looked to be about five pounds lighter, likely as a result of the exercise programmes and detox diet. His face appeared a lot less haggard than it had been. He came over to Fran, hugging her tightly, before going to Donny and doing the same.

"Wow, you look great!" Fran told him. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel amazing; this place is doing wonders for me." He told her happily. "If I keep up like this for the rest of my course, I'll be able to fit into the suit I graduated in."

"You definitely look a lot more like the man I remember." Donny told him with a smile on his face as they all took a seat. Dr. Jennings looked at them both with a proud look on his face.

"I can't believe the school is now in the hands of my two star pupils." He commented. "I had a call from Professor Thomson today asking if I thought you had gone mad, forfeiting the Reefside game. Apparently he's had a lot of calls from some very important alumni."

"Well you did tell me to take a very serious look at the records and give the school what it needed." Donny replied light-heartedly. "So, I started with a full-on colonic. There were so many kids with their grades all over the place and inconsistencies in their test grades; I had no idea who deserved what. The only choice I had was to start everyone from scratch all over again."

"So I'm sure the angry phone calls have begun already." Dr. Jennings laughed.

"So far, I've had my car trashed, four phone calls demanding I reconsider or lose a lot of donations, one call demanding my immediate removal, and one suggesting I do something very unpleasant with myself." He informed him. "I'm sure my answering machine will be full of such messages tomorrow."

"Well I did warn you this isn't a job that would make you popular." Dr. Jennings reminded him.

"I've had experience like this before." Donny assured him.

"Who would have thought that the kid I caught stealing tests would end up saving the school?" Dr. Jennings asked. Fran turned to look at Donny with a bright grin.

"You never told me that." She said, nudging Donny gently. He just sniggered at the memory.

"My cousin was a janitor at the school back then. I took a copy of his master key without him knowing." Donny told her. "I used to break in all the time to get advanced copies of tests to keep me on the team. One night, I went into Dr. Jennings' class and he was sitting there waiting for me."

"So what happened?" Fran asked him.

"I didn't want to tarnish his record; I could see he was a bright kid." Dr. Jennings informed her. "I just pointed out that if he put half as much effort into studying as he did into cheating he'd get those grades on his own."

"By the time I left, I had a 3.8 and was Valedictorian." Donny concluded the story. "Dr. Jennings really turned things around for me. It's because of him I got into this profession."

"He's why I got into teaching too." Fran responded.

"Anyway, enough about all of this, I want to hear all about the two of you." Dr. Jennings chipped in. "So tell me Fran. How is that adorable little boy of yours?"

Back at JKP, Liv just sat, staring at RJ and Lily silently. The news that after everything she had been through, after finally starting to put together a life after escaping from her father's cruelty she might be torn from the ones she had come to love had been like a huge slap across her face. She couldn't say anything; she couldn't even shed a tear yet. The shock was still too much for her to deal with.

"Liv, we're going to do everything we can to keep you." Lily assured her. "They haven't decided whether or not there'll be a hearing yet, all we can do right now is try not to panic."

"So what's going to happen?" Liv asked them. RJ reached across the table, touching her shoulder gently.

"They're sending someone to interview us this weekend." He told her. "They'll do some background research in the meantime, probably ask a few questions round town before they come, but this interview will determine whether or not the case goes any further."

"What are the chances?" Liv asked them. Lily and RJ looked at each other a little regretfully. It wasn't really their fault, the hand life had dealt them meant that violence was unfortunately just a natural consequence of their lives as Rangers.

"We really don't know." RJ told her honestly. "All we can do is present a united front as a family, answer any questions they have as honestly as we can, and hope for the best."

"If the interview doesn't go well...?"

"Then we'll have to go to a hearing where a panel will decide whether or not they believe that this is a safe environment for you." RJ concluded. "I understand this is hard on you, it's hard on all of us."

"I don't have anything to wear." Liv said, somewhat surprising the two of them. Lily just looked at her a little confused. "This is basically like a court case right? We're meant to make a good impression."

"I guess so." Lily replied with a shrug. She hadn't really thought about it, but Liv did have a point. They needed to do anything they could to swing things in their favour.

"Well my dad was never really great at picking stuff out for me." She told them. "The only formal dress he bought me was for when he brought clients home. It makes me look like an eight year old auditioning for the part of the sugar plum fairy."

"Liv, it's alright to be scared." RJ assured her. "We all are."

"I am scared." She admitted. "But that isn't going to help. This might."

"I'll call Gabby." Lily told her. "Maybe she has some old clothes that'll fit you."

"I have some homework to do." She told them. "Is it alright if I go now?"

"Sure." RJ replied, allowing her to leave the table. They could see that she was still troubled, but they couldn't really blame her. "She seems to be taking it well."

"I'll check on her in a little while." Lily replied. "I know we had to tell her, but it just doesn't seem right to worry her like this."

"Lily, she's nearly 15. One of the things Child Services will look at is what she wants to do. She's old enough that she'll be interviewed and her thoughts will be taken into account. She needed to know if she was going to prepare for that."

"I guess you're right." Lily replied. "I just hope things work out for her. She doesn't deserve all this."

Fran and Donny arrived back at the school, a little before dark. Fran pulled up near Donny's car and stopped near his wrecked car. Just as he had predicted, no one had taken anything from it. It was so clapped out; he doubted any of it would have any real street value.

"Are you sure you don't just want me to take you back to your hotel?" She asked him, pulling on the parking brake. "We can call AAA in the morning..."

"It's alright; it isn't the first time I've done this." He replied, getting out the car and rolling up his sleeves. "Do you know what I really love about this car?"

"It's a classic?" Fran asked, looking over it. It was a classic, but it was badly maintained, and so had no real value.

"It's a classic piece of crap." He told her, opening the trunk and pulling out a couple of spare tyres. "But it has a huge trunk."

Fran just laughed and shook her head in disbelief. Donny obviously knew what he could expect from the students when he started squeezing the kids who were used to getting an easy ride. He had four spare wheels, a box of bulbs, and an impressive array of tools in the trunk in preparation for this exact situation.

"I never knew kids were so predictable." She commented. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow Fran." He replied, waving to her as he started working the wheel nuts with a spider. Fran pulled out of the parking lot, checking the mirror as she went, seeing Donny replacing the wheels. She had to admit, she was beginning to be impressed by the new principal. In some ways, it was almost a shame that he was only there until a permanent replacement was found.

In a police station on the edge of town, Mike was sitting down to his evening meal. Since the shooting, he had been charged, and was awaiting trial for the crime. Since he was 18, he was to be tried as an adult for his crime. His lawyer had tried and failed to secure bail, given the violent nature of his crime, and the fact he was caught red-handed. So far, he was just happy he was being remanded at the station and not at a prison. He heard a knock on the door, and looked up, finding the custody sergeant standing there.

"You have a visitor Bishop." He announced. "You know the drill."

Mike put his tray aside, and held his hands in front of him, allowing the sergeant to put him in handcuffs. He was led down the hall to one of the interview rooms, and brought inside, where he found a man dressed in a strangely smart-casual manner, wearing simply dark corduroy pants and a pale blue shirt. He had red hair, and very pale flesh, covered with freckles. He had a bright smile, with slightly crooked teeth. He shook Mike's hand warmly.

"I'm Mr. Kirk, I work for Child Services. Please, take a seat." He instructed Mike. He took a seat, at which the officer removed his handcuffs, but he didn't leave the room. He was obviously there in case Mike tried anything.

"I was only expecting my lawyer or mom." He remarked. "Why would Child Services want to talk to me?"

"Needless to say it isn't about you Mike, I may call you Mike right?" He continued, reaching into a briefcase and pulling out a tape recorder. "Do you mind if I record this conversation?"

"Yes, it's just...why are you here?" Mike asked him. Mr. Kirk started up the tape recorder.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions about the incident at JKP." He told him.

"Sorry but my lawyer..."

"This is nothing to do with the case; you have my word on that." Mr. Kirk interrupted him. "I wanted to ask you about the connection between yourself and Olivia James."

"Liv?" He asked.

"What can you tell me about her home life?" Mr. Kirk asked him. "What can you tell me about Mr and Mrs. James?"

Meanwhile, over at her parent's house, Deborah and George were sitting in one of the sitting rooms, enjoying a quiet glass of wine when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Gabby called through as she made her way to the door. Deborah looked through the sitting room door a little curiously, seeing Gabby dressed a lot more formally than she was used to. She looked to her husband and nudged him.

"I have a feeling we might be about to have a big talk." She told him. George straightened himself up on his chair as Gabby came in with Dom. He was also dressed a little more formally than usual. George looked between them both curiously.

"So is this about the wedding?" He asked them. "Or do you have some other big news?"

"Well it's more like the second." Gabby told them. Deborah shrieked excitedly and rushed over, hugging her daughter.

"Congratulations, both of you!" She called out. "So when's it due?"

"Mom, calm down, it's nothing like that!" Gabby replied, realising that she obviously thought her mom was expecting them to announce that they were expecting a grandchild. "No, it's not that. I was talking to Dom earlier. I've made some big decisions about my future. I want to put a business proposition to you."

"Well this sounds intriguing." Her father replied, setting down his glass. "What were you thinking?"

"The first thing I wanted to tell you is that I've decided I'm not going back to study law." She told them. "Before you get all concerned and ask, it isn't because of the accident. I just...don't feel the same way about it I used to. Since the accident, I haven't really been concerned about going back to my studies and I just figured, if I'm so dispassionate about it now, then maybe it isn't the right course for me."

"I can go with that logic." George replied in a small sigh. He wasn't sure yet, but he knew she had to have been giving it some thought. "So what are you planning to do?"

"I transferred my credits to an online business degree." She told them. "I was going to switch my major from Law to business. I've found an online course I can do while I'm in Physiotherapy. By the time the next semester starts, I can enrol in Ocean Bluff University on a part-time basis."

"Part-time?" Deborah asked her. "What do you plan to do with the rest of your time?"

"Why do I get the feeling this is where you ask me for money?" George asked her. Gabby looked to Dom, who just nodded and held her hand in a comforting gesture. Gabby put her portfolio down on the coffee table. George picked it up, looking at it thoughtfully.

"I've done a lot of research." She told him.

"I can see that." George replied, his brows furrowing a little. "You really think there's such a large demand for these facilities?"

"I called every surfing beach, skate park, BMX Park and Motocross track within a five hour drive of here. A lot of their business comes from Ocean Bluff." She told him. "Tori and Kelly told me that a lot of their mail order business comes from OB. There isn't a single store in the city that caters to the X-games crowd. Everyone's either forced to mail order stuff and wait up to a month for delivery, or drive nearly three hours to the nearest store, which I'm assured, is massively overpriced."

"Let me hold onto this." George told her, putting the portfolio away in his briefcase. "My accountant will be interested to see this."

"You mean you're considering it?" Gabby asked him with a bright smile. George looked to his wife, who smiled back at him and nodded.

"How often do we get the chance to get in on the ground floor of a potential monopoly?" He asked her. "I can't believe no one's thought about this before."

Dom held Gabby, beaming with pride. He knew she hated to ask her parents to bank roll her. She had been raised to earn her own way like her father had done, and was determined to make it on her own. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to believe she could manage to get such an ambitious project off the ground without some serious investment.

"There's one condition." Gabby told him. "This is my thing. I want to do this on my own. I want us to set up some kind of business arrangement. I want to pay you back."

"I'm sure we can arrange something." He replied. "Anyway, seeing as you're both here, do you have any more ideas about the wedding?"


	135. Background Investigation

The next day, Johnny came into the school, finding Liv by her locker. He smiled as he noticed her, making his way over slowly, coming behind her. He stroked her shoulders with his hand, at which she jumped with a start.

"Liv, what's wrong?" He asked her, a little concerned that she was acting so strangely. When he had left her the day before, she was a lot more upbeat and cheerful, excited about the new changes being made at school. Now though, she seemed to be a million miles away.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well." She told him, taking out her books and starting to make her way towards Mrs. Martin's class.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her. "You know, I heard that's kind of part of the rules. We are allowed to tell each other stuff."

Liv didn't really want to talk about what was going on. The last thing she wanted was to risk Johnny deciding to cut his losses and walking away. She had no idea what the situation was with the investigation, or what her chances were of getting through it. It was still uncertain what the chances were that they would serve Lily and RJ with a court order demanding that she be turned over to them and put into care. She didn't even know if there was a care home or any emergency foster families in the city. It was possible that following the investigation, she could be taken from the city altogether. She let out a sigh as she realised she had to tell him. If they were going to be separated, then it was best he knew about it.

"Johnny, I need to tell you something." She told him, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside. "After RJ got shot, someone made a report to child services. They said I was at risk."

"What?" He asked her. "Liv, what does that mean?"

"They've halted the adoption procedure while they investigate." She told him. "Someone's coming around at the weekend to interview us." She told him. "If he isn't satisfied that I'm safe, if he thinks that Lily and RJ aren't going to be good parents for me, it'll go to a hearing."

He could see her gulping as she tried to choke back her tears. He could see that she was scared by the current situation.

"Johnny, they might take me into care." She informed him. "It's possible they'll take me away."

Johnny pulled her in, hugging her warmly as he thought about the situation. The thought of losing her terrified him as much as it terrified her. She had come so far from her father's abuse. She had so much to lose now; it wasn't fair that she was being forced to face the thought of losing it all.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. Liv finally nodded in response, at which he led her the rest of the way towards Mrs. Martin's class. Just as they were about to get there, they saw Donny going in with a stranger, with red hair and pale flesh, covered in freckles. Johnny and Liv waited outside the room, just out of sight of the door.

"Donny, is there something...?"

"Fran, this is Mr. Kirk, he's here from child services." He told her. "He wants to ask you a few questions about Liv."

Liv overheard this and pulled a little closer to the door.

"Child services?" Fran asked him. "Why...?"

"Mrs. Martin, we just want to ask you a few questions about your involvement with Olivia, and her care under..."

"You think she's in danger with RJ and Lily?" Fran asked him a little unconvinced. Mr. Kirk just looked back to Donny.

"Is there somewhere private we could talk?" He asked the Principal. Donny handed him a key.

"You can use my office." He told him, before turning to Fran. "Just leave your lesson plan on the desk. I'll take the freshman class for you."

As they heard Mr. Kirk and Fran coming, Johnny grabbed Liv, turning her into the wall and shielded her from view, pretending to talk to her about a TV show. Liv saw them walking past and hit him in the stomach as they disappeared.

"What are you doing?" She asked him. "That was about me, I..."

"How do you think Child Services are going to react if they find out you've been eavesdropping on their investigation?" He asked her. Liv tried to say something, but quickly realised that he had a point. It wouldn't have looked good. "You can trust Mrs. Martin. You know she'll not say anything incriminating, but if he found out that you knew they were interviewing her, it might make anything she tells them suspect. They already know she's friends with RJ and Lily."

"I guess you're right." She replied sheepishly. "I just wish I knew what they were asking her."

"Well right now we have a class." Johnny reminded her, cradling her chin with his hand and kissing her softly. "You know Mrs. Martin's on your side. Trust her, it'll be fine."

Over at Ocean Bluff Hospital, Gabby was waiting for her appointment with doctor. Her mother and Dom were with her for support. Today was the day she was getting her cast off for the last time, and also when she heard exactly how much physiotherapy the doctors expected her to need. Her mother had her arm around her, holding her softly.

"Ms. Wallace, we're ready for you now." The doctor told her. Gabby got up onto her crutches, before they led her into the room. She was grateful to see another friendly face inside. While her doctor was there to remove the cast, Michelle had juggled her rota to make sure she could be in the room for the examination.

"I see that your blood pressure is still very promising." The doctor commented. "I also see your weight has remained pretty constant. It looks like you've been looking after yourself."

"I wanted to get back on my feet as quickly as possible." Gabby told him, looking over to Dom and smiling. "I'm getting married in June. I want to be able to walk down the aisle without a stick."

"If you keep looking after yourself this well and stick to your physio, I don't think I'd be exaggerating to say you'd be able to cartwheel down the aisle if you wanted to."

"Now that would be something to see." Dom replied cheekily. Gabby just laughed and took his hand.

"Alright, just hold still while I get this off." The doctor instructed her, picking up a power tool. "Then we'll talk about your physio schedule."

Gabby's hand tightened around Dom's as he started up the saw.

Back at the school, it was coming towards lunch break, and Johnny and Liv were making their way to the canteen. They saw Fran leaving Donny's office, followed closely by Mr. Kirk. He shook her hand, before making his way out the building. They tried to gauge his mood, but he seemed to have a good poker face. Fran meanwhile, seemed to be exhausted and a little upset about something. She had been in the interview with him since first period, so it seemed like he must have covered a lot of ground with him. Liv came over to her, closely followed by Johnny.

"Mrs. Martin, are you OK?" Liv asked her. She was concerned about Fran, but there was also a slightly self-serving side to her concern. She really wanted to know what she and Mr. Kirk had been talking about. "You've been in there with him all morning."

"It's alright Liv, really." Fran tried to assure her. "It was just...some pointless meeting..."

"She knows about Child Services." Johnny interrupted her, causing Liv to look a little annoyed. "Lily and RJ told her. We overheard you talking to him before class."

"I should have known better than to think you wouldn't get involved in this." Fran stated, ushering them into Donny's office, shutting the door to prevent anything they said being heard. "Liv, I know this has to be frustrating, but I can't talk to you about this."

"But Mrs. Martin..."

"Liv, I want to tell you what we talked about, but I'm not allowed to say anything!" Fran put down flatly. "I'm part of the investigation. If I talk to you about this, if I talk to anyone about what we discussed, it could compromise the investigation."

"But this is my life we're talking about!" Liv snapped at her angrily. "If I don't know what you said, how are we meant to prepare for any questions he has at the interview?"

"That's exactly why I'm not allowed to talk to you. I'm already risking things by telling you this much. If Mr. Kirk found out we were in this office, what do you think he'd think about that?" She asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Liv, trust me on this. Just answer any questions as honestly as you can and don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Thanks for nothing." Liv hissed quietly as she swept Fran's hand off her and stormed out of the room. Johnny looked a little apologetic as he looked at Fran. He knew the situation Fran was in, she had to stay as impartial as possible. That didn't mean she didn't care about Liv. He was sure Liv probably knew that, but with the investigation hanging over her head, she was just lashing out.

"Go after her." Fran told him.

"I'll take care of her." He assured her as he left. Fran just sat on the desk with her head in her hands as Donny came into the room.

"Fran...?"

"Do you ever sometimes get the feeling that Ms. Tenant was right?" Fran asked him. "Maybe things would be easier if we just didn't care about the kids."

"They would be easier." Donny replied with a smile. "But that doesn't mean they would be better."

"I know you're right." Fran commented. "It's just a little hard to remember that at times."

"I know it is. Do you know what always makes me feel better at times like that?" He asked her. He opened a drawer, showing her that he had put in a small, miniature freezer. Opening it, there was a tub of chocolate ice cream. Fran couldn't help but laugh.

Back at the hospital, Gabby was still being subjected to some tests. Dom held her hand as he continued to check the range of motion in her leg. Gabby's face told the story with every grimace and grunt as he moved it around.

"Well the good news is that because you were in such good health before it shouldn't take too much work." He assured her. "There doesn't seem to be too much discomfort or stiffness."

"That's easy for you to say." Gabby muttered. "It isn't your leg."

"Trust me, I've seen a lot worse." He assured her. "I'm going to start you off with a six week course. That'll take you until the beginning of April. Depending on how you progress with that, we'll see if any further treatment is needed."

"My husband and I could probably afford a private therapist to help." Deborah suggested.

"I'd ask you to pass along the details to my physiotherapist to make sure Gabby isn't pushing herself too hard, but there shouldn't be a problem with that." He responded, handing Gabby the appointment card. "Now, you need to exercise regularly, but don't push too hard. I've seen more than one patient end up back in here by moving too quickly."

"We'll keep an eye on her doc." Dom stated, putting his arm around his fiancée. "You have my word on that."

"What about getting around?" Gabby asked him. The doctor gestured to one of the nurses, who handed him a metal cane.

"I'd suggest you limit your journeys, but if you do have to walk, then this should help you keep the weight off your leg."

"Great, I have another month and a half on one wheel." Gabby grumbled, taking the cane from him and shifting off the bed. Dom helped her as she stood shakily, beginning to get used to the cane.

"Well, I think we're just about done here." The doctor stated. "The Physiotherapist will see you on Friday."

At the end of the school day, Johnny and Liv came out of the building to find a crowd gathered in the parking lot. It seemed like there was some kind of commotion. Johnny pushed his way through, finding Donny standing, staring at his car. Once again it had been trashed. Another four tyres had been slashed, but this time, a few choice slogans had been spray-painted across the bodywork. The most prominent of which was the phrase "Trator, OB Furry Rulz!" across the hood. Some students were taking pictures with their camera phones, while others were just pointing and laughing.

After looking at it for a few seconds, Donny made his way over to the car, bending down to pick up a discarded can of spray paint as he did so. The students all fell silent as he crossed out one of the R's, and the Z. He then inserted an I and put an S on the end of the word rules. The students were dumfounded as they realised he was correcting the spelling and grammar on the graffiti.

"You'd think if someone liked the football team that much, they'd learn how to spell their name." Donny joked as the students started to walk away, denied of the satisfaction of seeing him react. He went to the trunk and pulled out another couple of spare tyres and the tools. He looked up as a jacket was thrown into the trunk, seeing Johnny standing there.

"Would you like a hand?" He asked him.

"Are you sure you want to hitch your wagon to me Mr. Mancusso?" He asked him. "I think you can see I'm not the most popular of people around here."

"It's just as well I'm not concerned about being popular then." Johnny said with a smile. "You're a friend of Mrs. Martin's. She's done a lot for me. That's good enough for me."

"Well if you're sure." Donny replied as Johnny got to work with the jack, lifting it a little, but not so much the wheels cleared the ground. "Do you know...?"

His words tailed off as Johnny worked with the spider with amazing speed for someone so young.

"Well, I guess that answers that question." He said, seemingly impressed. "Are you sure you're only 15?"

"My uncle Vinnie owns a wrecker's yard." Johnny stated, jacking it up further, allowing him to remove the wheel. "Taking off wheels was one of the first things I learned."

"You're taking shop aren't you?" Donny asked him. "Next year you'll be able to take driver's ed. I guess there are no prizes for guessing what your project will be next year."

"Well it's not like I'll be able to walk into the BMW dealership." Johnny said with a grin.

"Well thanks for this." Donny told him. "Normally I end up doing this alone."

"This isn't your first time?" Johnny asked him.

"There are two rules to doing my job." Donny assured him. "The first is, don't ever worry about being popular."

"What's the second?" Johnny asked him. Donny just shook his head.

"Maybe I'll tell you when I leave." He replied.

Over in another part of town, Fran arrived back at her place, finding Theo already there. He was keeping Algie busy until Fran could get home.

"So how are my two favourite men?" She asked as she put down her things and came into the living room. She took Algie from Theo, preparing to feed him.

"My day was pretty good. The store was pretty quiet, so I got a little time to spend with Algie after lunch." Theo told her. "How was your day?"

"Don't even ask." She warned him in a sad sigh. "It was really wearing."

"What happened?" Theo asked her. Fran shook her head.

"It's something official. I can't really talk about it." She told him. "I wish I could..."

"You don't have to worry; I understand you can't always talk about these things." Theo told her. "I've got a chicken bhoona on the cooker."

"That sounds great." She said with a little smile. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

With that, Theo went through to the kitchen to begin plating up the dinner, she held her son gently to herself. She wished she could do more to help Liv, and she wished she could tell her what she had discussed with Mr. Kirk. She had tried to do what she could to answer his questions, showing RJ and Lily in as good a light as possible. She only hoped she had done enough.

It was beginning to get late when Dr. Jennings was approached by an orderly. He looked up from his book at him.

"There's someone here to see you." He told Dr. Jennings. He got up, making his way down the hall to the visitors' lounge, where Mr. Kirk was waiting.

"Dr. Jennings?" He asked, gesturing to him to sit down, shaking his hand as he did so. "I'm Mr. Kirk. I'm from Child Services."

"What can I do for you?" Dr. Jennings asked him, taking a seat. Mr. Kirk pulled out a tape recorder, setting it on the table.

"You don't mind if I record our conversation do you?" He asked him. Dr. Jennings just shook his head. "I was wondering what you could tell me about Olivia James."

"Liv?" He asked curiously. He knew a bit about her situation, and in his position, he had unfortunately been involved with child services before. "Is this a welfare investigation?"

"I'm afraid so. I'm just trying to get some background information on the case before I interview Olivia and her guardians." He told him. "You understand of course you cannot discuss this situation with anyone until after the interview."

"I understand." Dr. Jennings replied sadly. "I'm ready when you are."


	136. The Weekend Approaches

It was coming to the end of the week when Gabby was doing some exercises in her parents' house. The furniture had all been pushed back to allow her space to do some exercises. Flit had offered to help her with her recovery, and was taking the opportunity while Michelle had a day off from the hospital to continue her education in alternative medicine. Gabby grunted a little as he helped her with her exercises.

"Alright Gabby, I'd agree with the doctor's initial assessment, there's a little muscle wastage, but I think there are a few things we can do to help stimulate the muscles and help the recovery along."

"Well that's encouraging." She replied quietly. "Is still hurts though."

"Alright, we're going to begin with some acupuncture." He told her, producing a box of needles. "Michelle, would you mind coming around to where you can get a better view?"

Michelle did as she was told. George came into the room as he was starting to check the flow of energy to find the place for the first needle.

"Sorry to interrupt Flit, I just had something to discuss with my daughter. I'll only be a couple of minutes." He told him. Flit nodded in understanding.

"Just let me know when we can get back to it." He told him, taking Michelle and heading into the hall. George sat down near her as Gabby sat up, grunting in discomfort as she did so. He smiled at her.

"I won't keep you from this for long." He told her. "My accountant just got back with those figures. He seems to think you're onto something."

"I told you so!" Gabby called out. "So, what did he say?"

"I think his exact words were that passing on this would be insanity." George told her. "There are no other such facilities in the city. We took a look at your entire programme, and we think it'll be a real goldmine. We have, however, made a couple of adjustments to the idea that I wanted to discuss."

He handed her a portfolio, allowing her to take a look.

"I'm planning to buy the motocross track, the plot of land beside the site you plan to build Storm Chargers on, and the beach on the east end of town, and hold them under my company." He told her. "I'm going to build a skate park by the store, and have a couple of lifeguard towers built on the beach."

"Dad, this..."

"It's all non-profit." He told her. "My company's on the lookout for a community outreach programme. We were thinking about investing in something to keep kids off the street, we just didn't know what to do, but your research really opened our eyes."

"So you're going to run it as a community deal?" Gabby asked her. He nodded.

"I'll hire some staff members to cover the sites so that they can be open every day." He told her. "It'll be a loss, but it'll also be amazing for our public image, as well as an excellent tax break."

"But you're not going to price the kids out of these sites?" Gabby asked him.

"How does free entry sound?" George asked her. "If I hold a couple of fundraisers a year, I should be able to just about cover it."

"What about the store?" Gabby asked him. "What's the deal there?"

"I'll extend you a loan to purchase the land, and build the store. There's a breakdown of the deal for the repayment plan in there." He told her. Gabby stopped reading and looked up at him.

"This isn't a full repayment." She told him. "I wouldn't pay it all back."

"You would purchase back 85 percent of the business." He told her. "My accountant believes it's such a great investment, he wouldn't let me walk out on it completely. This way, I'll own 15 percent of the business by the time the repayments are in, and will be entitled to the appropriate share of the profits."

"Dad, this is my business idea." She replied. "I don't know..."

"Hey, you're the x-games nut in this house, I trust your judgement." He assured her. "I'll be strictly a silent partner. The only involvement from me will be purely financial, you have my word."

"I don't know what to say!" She gasped.

"Well I think it's a pretty good deal." He told her. "You might not have gotten far through your law degree, but I think you'll see the figures all look pretty good."

"Everything seems to be in order here." Gabby agreed, pulling him in for a hug. "Listen, I was going to get Kelly in on my share of the business. I figured I'd need someone to show me the ropes until I got used to owning the store instead of just working there."

"I suppose that makes sense." He replied with a shrug. "I'll tell you what; I really want to get moving on this. How about I set up a meeting with my lawyer for Monday?"

"I think we might be able to have something ready by then." Gabby told him. George gave her a knowing smile.

"You knew I was going to sign off on this didn't you?" He asked her.

"Well the exact deal was unexpected, but I did do my homework on this deal before I suggested it." She answered honestly. "I know you always like to get on board with good investments."

"So who's coming to OB?" He asked her. Gabby looked at him a little sheepishly.

"I kind of already got Shane to clear his schedule." She admitted. "He'll be here sometime across the weekend."

"Well just call him back and tell him to cancel whatever motel he's booked into." George stated, patting her shoulder as he got up. "He's welcome to stay here."

"Thanks Dad." She called back as he left, grinning broadly. Flit and Michelle came back into the room as George left, taking their place by her once more.

"Alright Gabby, just lie back and try to relax. This shouldn't hurt." Flit assured her as he took her leg in one hand and a needle in the other. "Michelle, pay attention. Next time, I'll get you to help me."

Over at the school, Johnny and Liv were making their way to lunch, walking in each others' arms while they quietly whispered to each other about recent events. They stopped as they walked into a group of jocks standing in their way.

"Do you really plan on choosing the wrong side all through High School Mancusso?" One of them asked him. He was African American, and about six foot eight, and hugely muscled. He was the central defensive linesman on the school football team, the Ocean Bluff Fury. He had also been, until recently, one of Mike's best friends. "We've had to forfeit the easiest game of the season because of your new buddy the principal."

"Chuck, what are you talking about?" Johnny asked him wearily. "We're just trying to get some lunch, just say what you're here to and leave us in peace."

"We all saw you kissing up to Mr. Weaver the other day." He said bitterly. "We've all got make-up tests all next week. He's still saying he'll cancel the Silver Hills game if we don't make the cut."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourselves Chuck, he's giving you every chance to catch up." Johnny told him. "Maybe if you cracked open a book once in a while instead of killing your brain cells drinking in the park with your useless friends you wouldn't have this to worry about."

"We didn't have this to worry about until that traitor showed up!" He snapped. "Ms. Tenant knew how things worked. Certain people just deserved a little leeway..."

"So the kids like us that have been working their asses off just have to accept the fact our grades mean nothing?" Liv asked him.

"It's their choice to be losers and spend all their time studying." Chuck replied. "Personally I prefer having a life."

"Well having a life worked real well for Mike now didn't it?" Johnny asked him. "So tell me, when are you seeing him next? I'm not sure what the visitation rights are in the police station!"

"Is there some problem here?" Donny asked as he arrived with Fran. Chuck and the other jocks just glared at Johnny and Liv.

"No problem here." Chuck told him. "We're just having a little chat."

"Well if I were you, I would be studying instead." Donny said with a smile. "After all, I have arranged for you all to be able to take your make-up tests across the weekend. If enough of you come through, I might not have to call the Silver Hills Sidewinders and forfeit next week's game."

"But sir..."

"The alternative is that you sit your make-up tests with everyone else across the next couple of weeks and miss that game." Donny interrupted him. "It's not like you're going to Reefside this weekend, so I'm sure you can give up one weekend for the good of the team."

Chuck and his friends didn't bother to protest, instead brushing past him as they left. Donny bumped into Chuck, but spun away, holding a pistol.

"Hey!" Chuck protested, realising his principal had picked his pocket. Donny just stared at him.

"I think guns have done enough damage around here." He stated.

"There's a little thing called the second amendment." Chuck said sarcastically. "Maybe you should look it up."

"I know what the second amendment is." Donny told him. "I also know that under the law, it is my decision to make regarding school policy. I was going to give out letters last period, but seeing as you're all here, you may as well hear it now. As of Monday, there will be metal detectors on the doors; they're being fitted this weekend."

He stepped closer to Chuck, getting in his face.

"Every student found with a weapon after then will be suspended for one week." He told them. "A second incident will result in immediate expulsion. Do I make myself clear?"

Chuck and his friends all just nodded in response, but their faces said it all. This was yet another of the unpopular policy changes Donny had implemented.

"Can I have my gun back now?" Chuck asked him. Donny just smiled.

"I know your address; I'll drop it off on my way home after school." He told him. "Of course if I'm delayed for any reason, you'll just have to wait."

The jocks just left without another word. Donny took the clip out of the gun, and pulled back the slide, emptying the chamber.

"Well that's one day you won't need to replace your tyres at least." Fran said with a little smile. "I didn't know about the metal detectors."

"Come on Fran, I have to have some surprises don't I?" He asked her. "Anyway, I'm hungry, and unless I'm very much mistaken, I smell pumpkin pie for dessert."

RJ was lying on his couch, under his doctor's, and more importantly Lily's orders to take it easy while he healed up. He finished his soup, putting the bowl down on a nearby table as he heard the door sounding. David started to crawl towards the door.

"It's alright little man, I don't think your mommy would mind too much if I brought in the mail." He told him. He made his way over, picking up the letters. He cycled through a couple of letters, filtering out the usual junk mail, and putting a couple of bills aside. He finally got to the one he had been expecting. It was from Child Services.

He went back to the couch, taking a seat and opened the envelope, unfolding the letter inside. He felt a little relief as he realised it was only to remind him of the interview and give him the time.

"Tomorrow at Midday." He sighed. "Well that's going to put a dampener on Valentine's weekend."

"What was that about Valentine's weekend?" Lily asked him, coming in after her shift, shaking her hair free of her scrunchie and kissing him as she arrived, before stroking her son's head. "Plans for how you intend to cover your absence on one of the busiest weekends since Christmas?"

"Well I was going to talk to you about that." He told her, handing over the letter. Lily read it, letting out a small sigh.

"Well at least we know when he's coming." Lily grumbled. "We'll have to tell Liv when she gets home."

"The timing couldn't be worse." He commented. "The biggest thing Liv should have to worry about is what to get Johnny."

"Dad and Master Finn should be able to work tomorrow." Lily told him. "I can call Dom. I hate spoiling his plans, but we need everyone we can get."

"I was going to call Johnny too." RJ told her.

"Well that should cover all of us for that night." Lily replied. "I still can't believe this is happening."

"We need to be strong Lily." He reminded her. "Liv need us right now."

Back at the school, it was coming to the end of the day. Fran and Donny came out into the parking lot, and Donny smiled as he found that unlike the rest of the week, his car was not damaged.

"Well I guess I'm not getting delayed on my way back after all." He commented, turning to Fran. "Maybe once I've been past Chuck's place, I can try out that pizza place you keep telling me about."

"You're really going to give it back to him?" Fran asked him. Donny shrugged.

"It is his property." He reminded her. "Like he said, as much as I disagree, it is his legal right to own it."

"Well at least you made a point." Fran replied. "I'll probably see you Monday alright?"

"I guess so." He responded, getting into his car and starting up the engine. "Have a great weekend alright?"

"I plan on it." She told him as he left. She turned back to her car, getting in. She saw Johnny and Liv walking out of the school. She couldn't help noticing Liv glancing in her direction, before turning sharply away and starting to walk back home to JKP. It hurt a little that Liv had turned from her, but she knew that it wasn't personal. This whole business had weighed unfairly on all of them. All she could hope was that Valentine's weekend would mean more than a little romance. Perhaps the saint would see fit to bless families too this year.


	137. The interview

Although it wasn't buttoned, RJ fidgeted nervously with his collar. He had been restless since he was sent home from the hospital, being unable to work. He had tried to creep into the kitchen a couple of times, but Lily and his friends had pretty much banished him from his own business while he recovered.

"RJ, stop fidgeting!" Lily chastised him. "We're trying to make a good impression."

"I know, but this all seems so fake." He told her. "This isn't us."

As she was about to answer, there was a knock at the external door. She opened it, finding a man waiting outside. He had red hair, and freckles over most of his pasty white flesh. He was wearing a black shirt, and black corduroy pants.

"My name is Jason Kirk." He greeted her, shaking her hand. "I'm here from Child Services. I'm here to conduct your interview."

"Please, come in." Lily told him, ushering him into the room. "My name's Lily, feel free to call me that."

"Of course, and this must be Olivia..."

"Everyone calls me Liv." Liv corrected him, shaking his hand nervously.

"So you must be..."

"Everyone calls me RJ." RJ interrupted him, shaking his hand. "So what happens now?"

"Right now I'd like to talk to the two of you in private." He told them. "Sorry to ask Liv, but would you mind...?"

"I'll find somewhere else to be." She told him, before leaving the room. Jason sat down at the table, pulling a tape recorder out of his pocket.

"Do you mind if I record this conversation?" He asked them. RJ shook his head.

"Feel free, we have nothing to hide." He said with a fake confidence. Of course they had more to hide than most families. They had been Power Rangers. They had lived through a significant portion of their lives in constant peril. That was hardly likely to endear them to Child Services though.

"I'm just going to ascertain a little background on the situation." He told them, activating the tape recorder. "This isn't the first time there's been a violent incident here is it?"

"I'm afraid you're going to have to elaborate." RJ told him.

"Almost two years ago, the original JKP was burned to the ground with two of your employees inside." He reminded them. "So this isn't the first violent incident to occur here."

"I will admit that, yes." RJ told him, gripping Lily's hand tightly. She felt the frustration in his grip, but didn't let anything slip She knew that any slip, no matter how slight, might be grounds for Jason giving a negative report. "Of course, we can all admit that was a pretty bad year."

"I'll say it was." Jason quipped, pulling out a sheet of paper. "In that year alone, you and your wife spent into the mid five figures in hospital fees..."

"Like I said, it was a bad year." RJ said, his grip on Lily's hand tightening in his anger. "Dai Shi was attacking the city. I'm sure everyone spent more on medical expenses that year."

"Mr. James...."

"RJ!" He interrupted sharply. Lily glared at him, squeezing his hand gently to warn him of his actions. Jason just smiled.

"Of course, RJ." He replied. "RJ, I simply want to ascertain if Liv will be safe here. Can you tell me anything about that incident?"

"The Overdrive Rangers went there looking to draw out the Jungle Fury Rangers." He said with as much honesty as he could without revealing too much of their past. "The Mercury Ranger saved them."

"Mrs. Francine Martin was one of the employees back then wasn't she?" He asked them.

"Fran, yes she was." RJ told him.

"She has told me a lot about the time Liv came to stay with you." He told him. "Like the first time she stayed with you..."

"Her father was beating her!" Lily chipped in. "We took her overnight because...."

"She went back to her father the next day." He reminded them.

"She pissed herself!" Lily remarked before she could restrain herself. "She was so scared and..."

"Mrs. James, please try to stay calm, I'm not here to judge you, I'm here to decide what's in Liv's best interests." He told her sanctimoniously. "So when she went home..."

"We kept her room just as she left it." RJ interrupted him. "I don't believe in speaking ill of the dead, but her father was not the best of men. I kept it for her because I thought she would be back."

"So you thought..."

"I didn't plan to take her!" RJ pre-empted him. "I just thought that perhaps her father had problems and it wasn't the healthiest of things for either of them to leave her in his care."

"I pulled up some medical records and it seems that your son David was born with a few complications." Jason told them. "Was that a factor in your decision to adopt?"

"NO!" Lily snapped before she could stop herself. RJ reined her in, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"That night was easily the most terrifying of my entire life." He told him. "I almost lost the woman I love and my son in one night."

"So was..."

"I would be lying if I said that Lily and I haven't discussed having more children." He said, cutting him off. "I would also be lying if I said the medical complications we had when David was born didn't scare the shit out of us."

"So..."

"We didn't choose to adopt Liv as an alternative to having more children." RJ stated, cutting him off. "She stayed with us after her dad was arrested. She's stayed with us for some time. She's a part of the family now."

"As touching as that is, I still need to decide if this is the best place for her." Jason told him dryly. "I've heard something about a party called the Cherry Harvest."

"She..."

"She went to that party." RJ interrupted Lily. "It was a mistake, many kids make them."

"So you're admitting to the fact she went to a party where many were drinking underage and taking drugs?" He asked them.

"I admit that." RJ told him. "You can't watch them 24/7."

Jason just scribbled something on a note pad as he said this. Lily felt her heart rate increasing.

"I'd like to discuss some things with Liv now." He told them. "Could you bring her back into the room please?"

Lily went to the door and opened it, finding Liv sitting on the stairs. She gestured her in.

"I'd like it if you were here to hear this." Jason said as RJ and Lily were about to leave. "I understand you like to be called Liv. Do you mind if I call you that?"

Liv just nodded in response. She knew that they were essentially on trial, and that any move would be analysed and used against them.

"You went to the Cherry Harvest...."

"Biggest mistake of my life!" Liv snapped, cutting him off. "I puked for hours afterwards!"

"I heard you drank underage." He chipped in.

"Only because Mike encouraged me to." She told him. "He got me blitzed and tied to have sex with me."

"You refused?" Jason asked her. Liv nodded, but from her expression Lily and RJ could tell she was angry.

"I told him I didn't want things to go that way." She replied. "We broke up..."

"The way I heard it, Johnny Mancusso interrupted the moment." He stated.

"Mike was already ripping the piss out of me because I wouldn't seal the deal with him." Liv told him. "I wanted to crawl into a hole and die when he told me there was nothing between us."

"So you never...?"

"Do you really want to check?" Liv interrupted him. "No, I'm a virgin, you can check if you like."

"When Mike Bishop came into JKP..."

"I was scared shitless!" Liv told him. Lily held RJ back. "He was waving a gun around..."

I want to know more about that." Jason told her. "What happened?"

Before she could stop him, RJ rushed to the table and slammed his hands down on it in anger. He had heard more than enough of this stranger questioning the way he protected his pack.

"That is more than enough Mr. Kirk." He hissed as Liv backed away. RJ's temper was an evil being. While it took a lot to rattle him, his temper was a terrifying thing to behold. "If you want to know about the night I was shot, try asking me!"

"Mr. James..."

"That lunatic was waving that gun around like a toy." He told him. "I did what any father would."

"So you defended your child?" Mr. Kirk asked him. RJ nodded.

"That gun was levelled at Liv." He informed him. "I took that bullet for her, and I'd gladly do it again."

"But..."

"She is my daughter, in every way that counts!" RJ stated, slamming his hands on the table. "I will not accept anyone saying otherwise!"

"RJ..."

"No Lily, this has to be said!" He said bitterly, swatting her hands away. "Liv is my daughter, and that is all that matters."

Jason wrote another couple of notes, before packing away his things. He got up, shaking Lily's hand.

"I have more than enough for my report." He told them. Just as he got to the door, RJ slammed it shut.

"RJ, let him go." Lily told her husband.

"Not until I know what's going on." He told her. "That girl means more to me than..."

"That's exactly what my report will say." Mr. Kirk assured him. "I won't lie to you Mr. James, there was more than a few things that concerned me."

"Now...?"

"Now I believe I've met the most screwed up family I've ever come across." He interrupted RJ. "Although, as screwed up as this family is, I can see that Liv is happy, healthy, and her grades have shown no significant change..."

"So you're saying...?"

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. James." He announced, shaking their hands. "I can't make an official decision myself, but I'm satisfied this is a good place for her."

"So...?"

"Mr. James, one of the things I wanted to do was piss you off and show where your protective instinct lies." Jason explained. "I can guarantee, my recommendation is that Liv should stay with you."

"You're going to endorse us?" Lily asked him. Jason just smiled.

"This is all about the kids." He told them. "I am satisfied that Liv will be healthy and happy here."

"So you're letting me stay here?" Liv asked him. Jason just nodded.

I'll file my report Monday." He told her. "That way..."

Liv didn't wait for him though, she just ran from the room. Johnny was busy bussing tables, and soaked in sweat.

"Liv..."

He was cut off as she leaped into his arms, kissing him like there was about to be a national amnesty.

"Johnny, I'm staying!" She screeched at the top of her lungs. "I'm here for good!"

Johnny though just hugged her. He was overjoyed that he knew she was staying, but that just left one question. How could he top that for Valentine's?


	138. JKP Valentine

Liv woke up on the morning of Valentine's Day, feeling a lot happier than she had in a long time. The interview the previous day had been a trying experience on all of them. Now though, she knew that she was staying.

She made her way through to the main room, finding RJ lying on the couch, watching television. She knew that it frustrated him that on one of the busiest weekends of the year, he was on the sidelines. It meant that now she and Johnny had to spend the night working.

"Hey dad, how are you feeling?" She asked him as she picked up some toast from the table.

"I've felt better." He admitted. "How about you?"

"I'm looking forward to seeing Johnny." She told him with a little smile. "I have a surprise for him."

"Well that's hardly surprising." He commented. "Sorry you have to work."

"It's alright dad, I understand." She assured him. "I'm sure it'll be fun working tonight."

Johnny arrived at that point, smiling as he saw Liv. He came over, giving her a quick kiss.

"Happy Valentine's day." He greeted her.

"Happy Valentine's day." She replied softly. "So do you have something for me?"

Johnny just smiled and pulled out a small box, containing a silver pendant. Liv smiled as she saw it.

"I love it!" She chirped cheerfully, turning away from him and holding her hair clear, allowing him to fasten it around her neck. "I got you a little something too."

She looked up to him; trying hard to remember the phrase she had been taught. Since she didn't really have much time to sort out a gift, she had opted instead to have one of the other kids teach her a little Italian. As she finished, Johnny and RJ just looked at each other.

"Um Liv, who taught you that?" He asked her.

"One of the senior kids." She told him. "I asked him to teach me how to say..."

"He taught you how to tell me to go screw myself." Johnny informed her. Liv looked decidedly embarrassed as she realised she had been set up. "Hey, it's the thought that counts."

"I'm sorry about that." She told him. "I really wanted to get this right."

"Like I said, I'm flattered you tried." He told her.

"So are you sure you won't need any help?" RJ asked him. "I could always..."

"You're not meant to set foot in the kitchen dad." Liv reminded him. "Mom told me I've to kick you out if you so much as think about working."

"But it's Valentine's weekend." He complained. "I feel fine, I could..."

"RJ you were only shot a little over a week ago." Johnny stated. "You're not getting in that kitchen."

"But..."

"I told you I can handle it." Johnny interrupted him. "Leave it all up to us. We'll be fine."

In another part of town, Donny was sitting in a classroom, overseeing the football team as they took yet another make-up test. He checked the clock on the wall, before getting up from the desk.

"Alright, pencils down everybody, your time is up." He announced. "Hand in your tests at the front of the class before you leave."

The players all grumbled and complained as they handed in their tests. None of them were happy about missing out on their weekend to take the tests, but Donny had given them the ultimatum that they either took the tests that weekend, or he would forfeit their next game as well.

"So are we going to play next week?" Chuck asked him as he handed in his test.

"That all depends." Donny told him. "Those of you that make the grade will."

"But we need everyone to beat Silver Hills!" He complained loudly. "You can't..."

"I can and I will!" Donny told him. "If any of you haven't made the grade, then you'll have let down your team mates."

"But the game..."

"There'll be other games." Donny told him. "I'm not changing my mind on this."

Chuck just turned and left the class, leaving Donny alone to mark the tests. He was determined to sort out this mess and get the kids back on track, but he also had no intention of turning a blind eye. If he had to, he would have no second thoughts about failing each and every one of them.


	139. Donny's Progress

The week at school was progressing slowly, but as it did so, things were getting considerably more upbeat. The kids, while still not happy about the make-up tests, were starting to get used to them. Some of them were even finding that as a result of the tests, they were doing surprisingly well. It didn't make him popular with many of the teachers, but he had set up after school study sessions to help the kids catch up with the work they had missed, or skipped by way of cheating.

Fran came into her classroom, looking decidedly exhausted, putting a huge stack of folders down on her desk. She pulled a can of Red Bull out of her purse, guzzling it quickly. She was interrupted by a cough from the door.

"I thought caffeine wasn't recommended while you were nursing." Donny greeted her, gesturing to the can. "You'll have to pull poor little Algie off the ceiling if you keep that up."

"Falling asleep while you're holding them isn't recommended either." She replied, finishing the can and crushing it before throwing it in the recycling bin. "I swear, I'll be grateful when all this is over..."

"Actually it is for you." He told her, handing her a report. "All your make-up tests are in, it looks like all those extra hours you've been putting in have paid off."

"Thank God for that." She sighed, sitting at her desk. "So now I just have to mark them all now."

"Actually I've been sending the tests off to an independent source I trust." He informed her. "I wanted to limit the chances of any of the teachers slipping into old habits and rubber-stamping the tests."

"What about the football team?" She asked him. "Have they been graded yet?"

"There are a couple who need to do a little more work, but they've been surprisingly enthusiastic about this process." He replied with a smile. "We have enough players eligible for a competitive team."

"I'm sure the kids will be thrilled." Fran responded as he took a seat on the desk.

"The ones who can play will anyway." He said with a laugh. "I wonder what the little monsters will do to my car today."

"You really don't worry about anything do you?" Fran asked him. "You put in those metal detectors, flunked all the students, pissed off half the school's sponsors..."

"Trust me; I've been doing this long enough to have seen pretty much everything they can throw at me." He interrupted her. "Anyway, the last of the tests should be finished by Friday. After which I was planning on mending a few bridges with all the teaching staff. Kind of thanking them for all their hard work straightening this mess out."

"That would be an idea." Fran agreed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well since I'm sure everyone will be at the Sidewinders' game on Saturday, I was thinking of a little get-together for the staff afterwards."

"That sounds like fun." She commented. "I wish I could get a sitter."

"Why not bring Algie and Theo with you?" He asked her. "I still owe you and Theo for dinner the first night I came here, and the hotel I'm staying at has a fantastic dining room."

"We couldn't possibly ask you to..."

"You aren't asking. I'm offering." He told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I want to get on the staff's good books again, but it wouldn't feel right if you weren't there. You're the only one who got on board with me from day one."

"I'll talk to Theo." She told him. "It might be nice to eat out for a change."

"Hopefully I'll see you there." He told her. "Who would ever have thought that day I rescued you from the locker we'd end up working here together."

"I just remember being grateful someone was good enough to let me out." Fran replied, turning a little red at the memory. "I think I set the record. What was it; about three minutes after I enrolled I was shoved in my locker?"

"Three and a half." He told her. "But who was counting?"

"Donny, I tried to call Dr. Jennings to arrange a visit last night, he said he would be busy the rest of the week." Fran chipped in. "He isn't the one you gave the tests to is he?"

"What do you think?" He asked her with a grin as he left. "Who else would I trust in this town?"

In JKP, Gabby was running through a few exercises with Lily that Flit had shown her. It was still hard for her, but she was starting to get used to them. She had been working hard recently to get back on her feet while she waited for the ball to get rolling on the development. Her dad was currently in the process of trying to buy up all the land he would need for the developments they had in mind.

"Okay, just one more." Lily encouraged her as she helped her with one last stretch of her hamstring. Gabby was a little relieved as they finally finished their exercises. Lily offered her a hand back to her feet, and gave her a towel as Gabby limped over to the couch to take a seat. "So I've heard you've got quite a full dance card."

"I'm not exactly doing a lot of dancing recently." She commented in response, taking a long drink of water.

"Please, between physiotherapy, the wedding and the new business plan, I'm surprised you have time to think." Lily commented. Gabby looked at her a little curiously.

"How did you know about that?" Gabby asked her.

"A lot of the sites your dad's trying to buy are council properties. They have to run any request for planning permission past the local residents and businesses." Lily explained. "So, you're planning to bring X-games to Ocean Bluff?"

"The X-games scene's always been big in Ocean Bluff. There was just no one willing to invest the time and effort into it." Gabby assured her. "So if you don't mind me asking..."

"RJ and I have already signed a letter of approval." Lily assured her with a smile. "The beach is only about a mile away, and the motocross track? We remember what the weekend of the tournament was like, we were swamped! All those hungry riders, surfers and skateboarders will be great for business."

"I'm really glad to hear that." Gabby told her. "Would you mind talking to Susan...?"

"Susan signed a letter too." Lily interrupted her. "She kind of figured you'd want to talk about the music for the store. Not to mention Casey's already expecting a lot more business at the gym once everyone starts using the local facilities for their hobbies."

"So basically all of you know." Gabby said in a laugh. "Is it at all possible to keep a secret in this group?"

"Nope." Lily replied honestly. "You know all of us will be here to help out in any way we can."

"I'm still waiting on the final word from the planning authority." Gabby informed her. "Dad said he isn't worried about the track, the park or the beach since they'll be community projects, but the store will require a change of use on the title deeds."

"Gabby, if anyone in town has the financial means to swing that, your dad has." Lily told her confidently. "With his lawyers and no competition to speak of, I can't imagine any reason it wouldn't go through."

"I really hope so." Gabby responded. "I want to get moving on this as quickly as I can."

"Well don't forget to take some time to enjoy yourself." Lily reminded her. "After all, there is the small matter of a wedding, not to mention the honeymoon afterwards."

"Well when I'm spending so long on my butt, all I have time to do is think." Gabby stated. "I've already picked out some invitations. I'm planning to send them out soon."

"Oh, I can't wait to get mine!" Lily gushed, taking a quick glance over to where David was playing in his play pen. "It isn't too much longer now."

"I know, I'm really looking forward to it." Gabby assured her. "Stephen and Mark are psyched too. They say they're missing me, but they're both so busy with Uni..."

"So how did they take the news you aren't going back?" Lily asked her.

"They understand." Gabby told her. "It doesn't mean they weren't disappointed though."

Just then, Lily's cell phone sounded. She answered it, smiling as she noticed it was Susan.

"Hey there, how are you?" Lily greeted her.

"Things are going alright here at the moment." Susan assured her. "Listen, I was wondering if I could ask you and RJ a favour. I know I always said all the steps up to the temple were great exercise, but I'm starting to think it might not be the greatest idea staying up here for the next few weeks."

Lily understood what she meant by this. Susan was now entering the last few weeks of her pregnancy, and had been warned that she could give birth at virtually any time. The temple was protected by charms, meaning that ambulance crews wouldn't be able to find it when the time came, and she doubted it would exactly be the easiest of tasks to get her down the steps and out of the woods particularly quickly while she was in labour. RJ and Lily had kind of expected her to want to stay in the city when the baby was due.

"I take it you don't want to ask Michelle and Flit to share the apartment over the Rock Porium." Lily commented. The apartment they shared now was barely big enough for them, especially with Flit's extensive collection of plants for his potions and remedies. There would never be enough room for Susan too. "I'll talk to RJ, but I can't think of any reason why we couldn't put you up here. There're still plenty of rooms."

"Lily, you are a complete lifesaver." Susan chirped happily. "Thanks for this."

"You're welcome Susan." Lily told her. "Just stay healthy. I'm sure I can rope RJ into helping you move. He keeps complaining about having nothing to do, and by the weekend, he'll be fit for work, so he won't have an excuse."

With that, she hung up. Gabby just looked at her and laughed.

"Is that what married life is all about?" Gabby asked her. "Having a guy to do all the heavy lifting?"

"It's just one of the perks." Lily assured her. "There are others."

"Like what?" Gabby asked, feigning innocence. Lily just put her arm around her.

"Let's talk about the joys of the wedding night." She replied.

Over at the school, Johnny was putting his books away in his locker before lunch as Liv came bounding over to him, throwing her arms around him.

"It's not that I mind being greeted like that, but what's the occasion?" He asked her.

"Do I need an excuse to hug my boyfriend?" She asked him, releasing him from her grasp. "I was under the impression that's just what couples did these days."

"We're going to be late for lunch." Johnny reminded her, putting his arm around her and leading her towards the canteen. "You know they never make enough garlic bread on lasagne day."

"Garlic bread?" Liv asked him. "You know, that might limit a few other things we could do across the rest of the lunch hour."

Johnny smiled as he turned towards her, drawing closer.

"I guess we could always be a little late." He whispered, kissing her softly. Donny came down the corridor, coughing to interrupt them. Johnny and Liv jumped away from each other, trying to act casual.

"Don't worry; you can get back to...what you were doing in a second." He told them. "I just wanted to make sure you got the message about the pep rally on Friday."

"Oh right, we had heard about that." Johnny told him. "Look, no offence Mr. Weaver, but it isn't really my thing."

"Me neither." Liv added.

"Well I was kind of hoping the school could get behind the football team now that the Silver Hills match is back on the cards." He said in a sigh. "The last of the make-up tests will be finished by then. It'll be a great way for the students to unwind after all that work."

"It's just..."

"It's straight after lunch." He reminded them. "It'll be a lot more fun than an empty classroom, don't you think?"

"We're just not into the whole school spirit thing." Johnny reiterated. "I mean, it wasn't so long ago half the school was treating us like..."

"Did I happen to mention that it'll probably end early?" He asked them. Johnny and Liv looked at each other, clearly pleased by the thought of getting out of school a little early on a Friday afternoon.

"We'll be there." They chorused together. Donny just smiled.

"Alright, that's just what I wanted to hear." He told them. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got a few things to do. Oh, and Johnny? In my experience, avoid the garlic bread."

"Well, you heard the man." Liv replied, grabbing him around the waist. "Where were we?"

"I think right about here." He replied, pulling her back in to a long kiss.

When the school day finally ended, Fran was pleased to be getting out. Now that her share of the tests had been completed, she knew she could finally get back to normal hours, and get a little time to relax with her husband and her son. She was just allowing herself to drift off a little, trying to decide whether or not to order take out when she came around to the parking lot. As she got there, she looked up, finding three guys standing around Donny's car. They were all wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities.

"Hey, get away from..." Her words tailed off as they turned towards her, and she realised that Donny was lying on the ground, bloody and battered. The men standing over him were much larger than her, and armed with baseball bats. Clearly they had attacked him.

"Get out of here lady!" One of them called out. "Keep your nose out of this!"

"You're not the sharpest tools in the box are you?" Fran asked him. He just shook his head in disbelief.

"Lady..."

"The balaclavas were a good idea, but wearing your letterman jackets and class rings?" She asked him. "You kind of give the game away kid. Now, step back!"

"In case you haven't noticed there are three of us here." He responded, patting the bat against his hand menacingly. Fran just rushed forward, driving a hard kick into his chest, sending him stumbling into his friends and knocking them all to the ground.

One of them got back up, and threw a punch in her direction, only to have it blocked, and being flipped over her head onto the concrete.

The next swung his bat, which she dodged, before snatching him into an arm lock, smashing an elbow into his face and kicking his legs out from under him. As the third got up, preparing to make a move, Fran turned towards him.

"Do you really want to try it?" She asked him. The kids got themselves together as much as they could, and ran away as quickly as they could. Fran made her way to Donny's side, helping him to sit up against his car. He had a horrendous gash across his forehead, and numerous bruises. She could tell he was favouring his ribs.

"Well this is a new one on me." He said with a weak laugh, aggravating his injuries slightly. "I thought I'd seen it all, but this is the first time students have jumped me."

"Come on, we need to get you to a hospital." She told him. Liv and Johnny arrived a little behind her, looking down on him.

"Mr. Weaver, are you alright?" Liv asked him. "What happened? Who did this?"

"It looks like it was some of the kids." Fran told them. "Johnny, help me get him up. We need to get him to a hospital."

"Fran, I'll be fine, honestly." He told her. "Just let me get my keys..."

"The way that head of yours has been split open, you might have a concussion." She interrupted him sharply. "There's no way you're driving."

"But..."

"No buts!" Fran told him flatly. "Liv, call Theo. Tell him what happened. I'll go home as soon as he's been treated."

"I'll do that Mrs. Martin." Liv assured her as Fran helped Donny into her car.

"Well it seems a lot of things have changed around here." Donny commented as she pulled away from the parking lot. "When did you meet Jet Li?"

"I'm sorry?" Fran asked him.

"You definitely didn't have moves like that when I remember you." He said, mopping the wound on his head with a handkerchief. "So much for the skinny kid I saved from her locker. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I've learned a lot since we left school." She told him. "Donny, we can't just ignore this. Someone attacked you."

"Don't worry; I'm not planning on letting anyone get away with anything." He assured her. "Just...get me to the hospital and let me worry about the rest."


	140. Donny's Power Play

By the time Friday came around, everyone in the school had heard about the attack on Donny. It was pretty much a hot button topic, eclipsing even the game the following day, and the end of the make-up tests. So far, most of the students had gotten their results back, and while the results were varied, at least the faculty knew everyone had the grades they deserved. There had even been a lot of pleasant surprises. No longer being able to cheat, many of the kids who knew they were in trouble had put in a lot of effort to study, and while no longer getting easy A's and B's, they were certainly performing a lot better than they had been.

Fran pulled into the parking lot, finding Donny getting out of his car. His eye was still black, and he had a dressing on his forehead, covering where he had needed 21 stitches to close the injury. There was more than a little bit of a hubbub from the teachers and students as they saw him there, dressed again in his jeans and letterman jacket.

"Donny, what the hell do you think you're doing here?" Fran asked him. "You're not ready..."

"I'm not going to let some kids keep me from doing my job." He told her. "I'm here now."

"Donny, you have a concussion." She reminded him. "You only went into hospital two days ago."

"I'm here to show the kids who has the power in this school." He told her flatly. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Donny, I told you we could handle things here." She reminded him.

"It's only a half day, and then it's on to the pep rally." He reminded her.

"Donny, what do you think you're going to prove?" She asked him. He just smiled at her.

"You should know me better than that by now." He told her as he walked away. Fran just gasped and shook her head in disbelief. It was only a couple of days ago that he had been beaten to hell, and yet, he still seemed to have something up his sleeve. She was starting to wonder if she would figure out what went on in that head of his.

Deborah drove Gabby to the bus station, not wanting to let her go to pick up Shane by herself in her current condition. Pulling into the parking lot, they got out.

"So where did you say he was coming in?" Deborah asked her daughter. Gabby pulled out the e-mail she had printed out again.

"He said his Greyhound's coming in at stance 15." Gabby stated, getting out of the car, and reaching into the back seat for her cane.

Deborah quickly paid the parking fee, before they started to make their way towards the main building. Gabby pointed to the Starbuck's stand.

"Do you want a coffee while we wait?" She asked her. Deborah just looked at her a little curiously.

"I thought you said he'd be here at five past nine." Deborah answered. "That's only five minutes away."

"Mom, trust me, buses never run on time." Gabby assured her. Deborah had been born into money, and with Gabby's father earning his fortune before they married, she wasn't used to the joys of public transportation. "We have plenty of time."

"Alright, if you're sure." She replied. "I'll just have a hot chocolate."

"One hot chocolate, and one cappuccino with three shots of mint syrup and extra chocolate please." Gabby said to the girl at the counter. Mrs. Wallace looked around the bus station, looking for a screen with the arrival details on it.

"Blue Bay Harbour, estimated arrival time fifteen minutes?" She asked.

"I told you so." Gabby responded as she turned back to her mother, handing over her order. They managed to get a seat, as a result of Gabby slightly exaggerating her limp to guilt-trip a guy in a business suit into giving up his table. "We'll have time to get to the terminal after we finish these."

"So are you looking forward to seeing Shane again?" Deborah asked her.

"I am. I definitely miss the old crew on Blue Bay." She admitted. "It's just one more reason I'm looking forward to the wedding."

"Has Dom talked to you about what you plan to do afterwards?" Deborah asked her. Gabby almost scalded her throat as she gulped her coffee quickly and stared at her.

"Mom!" She screeched. "I'm not going to talk to you about that!"

"I was thinking more of honeymoon plans." Deborah explained, taking amusement in her daughter's embarrassment. Gabby shrunk into her chair a little, almost hoping that the world would open up and swallow her.

"Oh…no not really." She told her. "He said he wants to surprise me. He appreciates all you and dad are doing for the wedding, so he really wants to do this part for me. He's a little proud that way."

"He really is a good man." Deborah commented. "You're lucky to have found him."

"I tell myself that all the time." Gabby said with a little dreamy grin. Just then, an arm wrapped itself around her, causing her to jump and shriek, turning to see Shane standing behind her.

"You're a little jumpy there Gabby." He remarked with a smile, hefting his bag onto his shoulder higher. "Come on, where's my welcome hug?"

"Shane!" Gabby shrieked, getting up and hugging him warmly, before turning back to her mother. "Mom, why didn't you tell me he was there?"

"Why deny myself the fun of watching you jump ten feet in the air?" Deborah asked her, getting up and kissing his cheek. "It's lovely to see you again Shane."

"Thanks for letting me stay for the weekend Mrs. Wallace." He told her as she and Gabby disposed of their drinks. "I managed to catch an earlier coach, I just forgot to call ahead and warn you."

"It's alright, the car's just this way." Gabby told him, gathering her cane and beginning to lead him back towards the parking lot.

It came time for Fran's senior class, just before the lunch period. As they filed in, Fran noticed three of them who had been noticeably absent for the last couple of days. Chuck, and two of his friends, Josh and Eddie made their way quietly into the class, and took their seats, though they seemed to be trying so hard not to draw attention to themselves, that they looked somewhat like guilty schoolchildren. As they sat down, Fran could guess why. Josh had an impressive black eye, roughly where she had hit one of Donny's attackers with his elbow. She was sure all three of them would probably be covered in bruises elsewhere too, Josh's was easily the most visible. Just then, she heard a knock on the door, and Donny appeared, making his way inside.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mrs. Martin, but I'd like to borrow a couple of your students." He told her. Fran could guess which three, and what it was about. She just nodded to show she understood. Donny turned and pointed to the three at the back of the class.

"You three, come with me please." He instructed them. Chuck and his friends got out their seats and followed him, finding the groundskeeper, Mr. Jacobs, and a security guard waiting. He closed the door behind him.

"Now gentlemen, let me just ask you. Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?" Donny asked them.

"I don't know…"

"Save it for someone who's buying." Donny interrupted Chuck as he tried to lie his way out of it. "The three of you failed to qualify for the team, ad the next thing I know, three guys jump me in the parking lot."

"But sir…"

"You were wearing your letterman jackets and class rings genius!" He interrupted Josh as he tried to force out some kind of alibi. "Nice black eye. It's about the size and shape of Mrs. Martin's elbow wouldn't you say?"

The three students looked at each other, realising they had been busted.

"You do all realise you're 18 of course." Donny reminded them. "This isn't a short stay in juvenile hall that'll be wiped from your record, this means a stay in the state correctional facility!"

They all looked decidedly terrified by this prospect. They had never considered what could happen to them if they were caught. Donny drew close to them, glaring at them intently.

"I don't want to ruin your futures, but don't think I'll lose a second's sleep over doing so." Donny told them. "I'd have no second thoughts about kicking all three of your worthless asses out of here without your diplomas and a criminal record. I'd toss you out of here myself in ten seconds flat, and forget you forever in the next five. Can any of you give me one reason why I shouldn't?"

They all shook their heads, realising that they didn't have a leg to stand on. All Donny had was circumstantial evidence, but they knew that if he made a complaint, further evidence would be found at their homes.

"I shouldn't, but I'm going to cut you three a break." He told them. "All three of you are going to drop out for the rest of the year…"

"But sir…"

"You will be barred from the school premises for the rest of the year." He continued, ignoring the protest. "You will all be welcome to come back and attend summer school to earn your remaining credits. If you do this, I won't press charges."

Donny and his friends all reluctantly nodded in response.

"Now, Mr. Jacobs was looking at a lot of work preparing the field for the pep rally, but now the three of you can do it." Donny told them flatly. "Unless you want me to go through with my threat of course."

"You just wrecked the team." Chuck stated coldly. "We're the best offensive linesmen on the team. By excluding us from the team…"

"You wrecked the team Chuck!" A voice called from down the hall. Chuck, Josh and Eddie all turned to see the rest of the football team lining either side of the hall, leading to the football field. The quarterback, Trent, was addressing them angrily. They all knew that the team would have heard every word.

"Trent, he…"

"He gave us every chance to shape up, and the rest of us stepped up to the plate!" Trent snapped at him. "We all came to the study sessions, we all put in the hard work. Where were you?"

"We…"

"Don't try and lie to me. I saw you three in the park when I was on my way to the library." Trent informed him. "You know, for a while, I was just like you. I blamed him, but in truth, the only people we were cheating were ourselves."

He stepped closer to him.

"I was offered scholarships for a lot of state schools, and I thought that was all I could look forward to." He informed him. "Yesterday morning, I got a call telling me I had been wait-listed for UCLA!"

"Mr. Weaver…"

"Mr. Weaver pushed me, and because of it, I'm getting better grades and better opportunities. I might not have liked it at first, but he's the best thing that's happened to the school!"

Chuck and his friends turned between Donny and Trent, trying to find some way out of this situation. Trent stepped in again, getting right in Chuck's face.

"I want all three of you jokers to come to Silver Hills tomorrow. I want you to watch the game." He told him coldly. "I want you to watch, and every time I get sacked, every point we concede, every time our offensive line doesn't hold up, I want you to think of this. You were given every opportunity to shape up and you didn't. Mr. Weaver didn't screw the team. You did."

With that, he stepped aside, leaving the path clear, but still flanked by the rest of the team. Donny pointed the way, seeing them reluctant to go.

"This is the last thing you're doing before you prepare for summer school." Donny told them. "I suggest you do a good job."

The three walked the path reluctantly, their heads hung in shame as they went, being jeered, insulted and berated by their former tea mates as they went. Mr. Jacobs wet with them to oversee their work. The rest of the team turned to Donny.

"I won't lie to you, the game will be harde without them, but I've watched your team numerous times, and I'm confident we can do it." Donny told them. "Now, there's still some time left until lunch. How about we go to the canteen and prepare properly for the game?"

After class, Johnny came into the hallway, and looked around in time to see Liv charging towards him, trowing herself into his arms enthusiastically, knocking him off-balance. He regained composure and laughed at the greeting.

"You know, one of these days you're really going to hurt me with these greetings." He teased her.

"Wher were you this morning?" She asked him, smacking him in the arm painfully. "I never ran into you on the steps!"

"Sorry, I was running a little late." He told her. "Uncle Vinnie wanted me to take Nero to the vet. He swallowed his chew toy."

"Well I just wanted to let you know that Mom and Dad are letting us have the night off." She told him. "I wanted you to come over for dinner to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" He asked her. Liv reached into her trouser pocket, pulling out a letter and handing it to him. Johnny read it, and his face lit up as he realised what it was.

"It's not the original, dad let me photocopy it before he tok it to his safe deposit box in the bank." She told him.

"So it's official?" He asked her. Liv nodded excitedly.

"Mr. Kirk's recommendation tipped it. Child services have approved the adoption." She informed him. "As of this morning, they're my mom and dad."

"Liv, that's amazing news!" He called out, picking her up, holding her closely. He parted from her a little way, looking deeply into her eyes, before drawing her in, kissing her passionately. By now a few kids were around, and had seen the display. They were getting the usual cat-calls and whistles, but they couldn't care less. As they parted, Liv looked at him smiling broadly.

"So…um…lunch time." She stated. "Then off to the pep rally."

"You know what? For once, I think I might be in the mood for that." Johnny told her, putting his arm around her and walking with her towards the canteen.


	141. Pep Rally

Johnny and Liv took a couple of seats high up on the bleachers as the rest of the students made their way to the field. They had seen and heard the pep rallies before, but this time was different. This time the kids genuinely had something to be happy about. Now the make-up tests were over. Now all they had to worry about was the run down to the end of the year, and in the case of the Seniors, finals. Sitting in 'pride' of place were Chuck, Josh and Eddie. Continuing their punishment of degradation in the eyes of their former team-mates, Donny had forced them to stay to watch the pep rally. Since a lot of guys on the team were going out with cheerleaders, and it was just coming out of lunch time, he knew word of what had happened would likely have spread by now.

Because of the overall feeling of celebration in the school now the make-up tests were over, everyone went to the pep rally. In Ms. Tenant's day it had been mandatory, but there were always those that slipped out, meaning that it was rare more than half the school attended. Since it was really an ego-boost for the team, it was usually only the jocks, the band kids, the cheerleaders, the rich kids and the others who were too worried their absence would be noticed that would attend, while many of the kids that felt neglected and overlooked by her regime tended to just go home and skip the spectacle. Today though, everyone was in attendance, despite Donny never once indicating it as mandatory.

"Have you ever been to one of these?" Liv asked her boyfriend, taking his hand gently in her own.

"Sure thing, I never used to miss them." He replied as he held her closely. "I used to sit right up the back with my friends back home and make fun of all the kids getting so excited about a bunch of guys head-butting each other for a couple of hours."

"You mean you weren't staring at all the cheerleaders in short skirts and tight tops?" She teased him. Johnny just laughed.

"Not this time." He told her. "Why would I be staring at the girls down there when the most beautiful girl in school is sitting right here?"

"You have no idea how corny that line was." She sniggered.

"Did it work?" He asked her hopefully.

"What do you think?" She asked in response, pulling him in and kissing him softly, just as the band started to march onto the field, playing a driving tune. They lined up on the field, earning a rousing cheer from the stands as they continued to play. The cheerleaders were next to appear, running out into position to begin their routine. The PA system whistled a little as it burst into life and Coach Andrews got on the mike.

"Students of Ocean Bluff High School, please put your hands together and welcome your acting principal, Mr. Weaver!"

Donny got a surprisingly enthusiastic applause and a massive cheer went up from the students and faculty as he ran out to the mike set up in the middle of the field. He waved to the crowd, a huge grin on his face as he got there.

"Well, I have to say I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome, but since you're all here, at least I know my car will still have its wheels attached when I go home." He greeted them, earning a laugh for his self-deprecating humour. "I would have run out here faster, but as you all know I'm feeling a little sore today. Of course nothing would have stopped me from coming here today!"

Chuck, Josh and Eddie all tried as best they could to hide their faces as he said this. The kids already knew exactly what they had done. They received a few cat-calls and jeers, a few kids behind them even threw some paper cups at them.

"Now, before we go any further, I'd just like you all to know that while these last couple of weeks have been hard going, and while we may not have gotten off to the best of starts, I'd just like to congratulate each and every one of you for your hard work, you all have a reason to be very proud of yourselves." He told them. "Although before we go any further, I would like to make just one more request to the guys on the football team for tomorrow. Remember to lace up your pants guys; I think we can do without a repeat of the Porn Star Run."

Everyone in the crowd by now knew about Donny's playing career at the school, and in particular that embarrassing incident. He smiled as he saw Fran on the front row, laughing and blushing at the same time. She had only been a freshman when that had happened, and had gotten a full-on view of the climax to that play.

"Now, without any further ado, let me welcome your team, the Ocean Bluff Fury!" He announced. Just then, the football team burst through a paper partition at the end of the tunnel, charging onto the field to huge applause.

"Let's just hope the Sidewinders' defence is made of paper." Johnny whispered to Liv, causing her to laugh. It was a good day, and a fitting end to Donny's struggle to reform the school following the years of negligence on Ms. Tenant's watch. The students weren't just cheering for the team, they were cheering themselves too. Donny had shown them that they could expect so much more than they had been led to believe from their education.

Over at Gabby's parents' house, Gabby was talking with Shane in the living room, catching up with all the news in Blue Bay harbour. She laughed as he told her another cute story about Sally, Tori and Blake's daughter.

"Speaking of kids, Kelly and Hunter have been approved by the adoption agency." Shane informed her. "They should be able to go to the orphanage in the next few weeks."

"That's amazing; I know they've been waiting for ages for that!" She shrieked, genuinely thrilled for her friends. They had been trying for kids for a while, but when it still hadn't happened after so long, they had gone to a fertility clinic. It had been hard for them to accept at first that they couldn't have children of their own, but with Hunter being adopted himself, they had come around to the idea of adoption as the way forward. There were so many kids in the world looking for a good home. "I couldn't be happier for them!"

Just then, George came into the room with Deborah, having just arrived home from work. He made his way into the living room, finding Gabby and Shane in the room.

"Hello Shane, it's been quite a while." He stated, shaking the young Red Ranger's hand. "Sorry about the suit, I just got in from the office."

"That's quite alright sir." He replied.

"Please I keep telling you, call me George." He responded. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'm just heading upstairs to get changed before dinner."

"Would you like a glass of wine with your dinner Shane?" Deborah asked him.

"That's alright; I'm not really a wine kind of guy." He replied politely. "The last time...let's just say it went to my head."

"It can do that." Deborah replied. "I'm sure we'll find something for you."

George came back into the room, having gotten into a pair of jeans and a deep red jersey. He placed a folder on the table in front of them.

"Alright, we have some time before dinner arrives and I'm sure that this is what we want to talk about." He began as Gabby reached for the folder. She opened it and smiled as she saw what was inside.

"Is this what I think it is?" She asked him.

"The meeting went exactly as planned. I managed to get the planning permission pushed through." He informed them. "We have the go-ahead; we can begin the planning stages on Monday."

"Dad that's amazing, thank you!" Gabby screeched, launching herself across the room and gripping him in a tight hug. George just laughed.

"Well at least I know this trip wasn't wasted." Shane responded with a smile. "So have you got any ideas what we're planning to do with the store?"

"I have a few ideas." Gabby told them. "I have some drawings in my room..."

"Whoa, drawings?" Shane asked her. "No offence Gabby, but..."

"I aced technical drawing in High School." Gabby informed him. "I minored in it at Blue Bay University."

"Well we can have a look at what you have prepared for us tomorrow." George said with a smile. "I'm sure Shane doesn't want to talk shop all weekend. So tell me, what's the latest news from Blue Bay Harbour?"

"Well Hunter and Kelly have finally been cleared by the adoption agency." Gabby informed him. "I also heard from Shane that I'm not the only one with wedding plans."

"Congratulations Shane!" Deborah chipped in. "I didn't know you were seeing anyone..."

"Oh, no it isn't me." He told her. "It's Mark and Stephen. They've filed for a civil partnership. They're planning to have a commitment ceremony next year."

"Well that's good for them." George replied happily. "I'm sure their families must be thrilled."

"Marks' parents are happy for them both." Gabby informed them. "Unfortunately Stephen's parents aren't so happy with the whole deal, but they're hoping that they'll come around."

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get hungry." George told them. "Deborah, have you called the take out place?"

"You know I did honey." She replied, kissing his cheek softly. "You know why you married me."

Meanwhile, over at JKP, Johnny and Liv arrived back at the restaurant, finding RJ unloading luggage from the back of the van. Johnny ran over to help him as he noticed him struggling with a large suitcase.

"Do you need a hand?" Johnny asked him, taking the case off him.

"That would be a great help." RJ replied, reaching in for another box. He was helping Susan move in.

"I thought Mrs. Sinclarie was only coming for a few weeks." Liv commented, taking the box from RJ. Because of the impracticalities in trying to get her from the temple to a hospital quickly, the decision had been taken that for the last few weeks of her pregnancy she would stay at the restaurant. "It looks like she's planning on moving here for good!"

"Never underestimate how much stuff a pregnant woman can need my young badger." He replied with a small grin. "I remember in the last few weeks before David was born..."

"RJ, have you finished yet?" Lily called down from the window to the apartment. "The dinner's nearly ready."

"I'll be there as soon as I can sweetheart." He called back, getting out the last box. "Thankfully that's the last of it."

"I'm really looking forward to this." Johnny told him. "I can't believe you've finally got the adoption papers through."

"We're all really excited about that." RJ admitted as they went up the stairs to the apartment. Lily was making sure Susan was comfortable, resting on the couch. At seven and a half months, she was pretty huge by now.

"Is that the last of it?" Lily asked him as she gave Susan some iced tea.

"Thankfully yes." RJ groaned, putting down his box. "It's a shame Jarrod and Dom were busy at the temple. I could have used the help."

"Stop complaining, you were whining all week about not being able to exercise." Lily reminded him. "Johnny, it's great to see you. I take it Liv told you the news."

"She did indeed." He replied, putting his arm around her. "I'm really happy for all of you."

"Well this is my first attempt at minestrone, and I'd like an expert opinion." Lily told him, gesturing to the kitchen. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all, I love minestrone." He replied, bounding over towards the kitchen to help her. Liv made her way to the couch, taking a seat with Susan.

"How are you feeling?" Liv asked her.

"I'm feeling pretty good at the moment." She told her. "Between my sister and Flit, I've been well looked after. Trust me, when it comes to your turn..."

"And I think that should be the end of that conversation!" RJ chipped in quickly, handing her a glass of lemonade. "I've just become a dad for the second time. I think it's a little early to scare me with the prospect of Liv turning me into a grandfather."

"Well you'll all be pleased to know that the minestrone tastes fantastic!" Johnny announced as he returned to the sitting area. "The bread smells amazing too!"

"It should all be ready soon." Lily told them. "In the meantime, would you like a glass of wine...?"

"That would be great Mrs. James." Johnny said, reaching for the glass. RJ snatched it away.

"Johnny, you're 15." He reminded him. "You're underage."

"I'm part Italian." Johnny replied. "I've been having wine with my meal almost every night since I was about 10."

"Well this is California, not Florence." RJ told him. Lily just took the glass off him and handed it to Johnny.

"RJ, he's a guest." She reminded him. "There's nothing wrong with him having one glass. If he drinks in front of us he isn't likely to get into any trouble is he?"

"I suppose so." RJ sighed, pouring himself another glass. "Alright Johnny, since tonight is a special occasion go ahead."

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Dr. Jennings went into the visitor's lounge of the rehab clinic, smiling as he found Donny sitting in the room waiting for him.

"Donny, how are you?" Dr. Jennings asked him. "How did the pep rally go?"

"Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves." Donny assured him. "I managed to mend most of the bridges. The kids all seem to be really getting along well now."

"I never would have believed that the school could have changed so quickly." Dr. Jennings replied happily. "I finished all that marking you got me to do."

"It arrived at my office this morning." He informed him. "By Monday I should have everyone's grades sorted and know where everyone stands."

"In the meantime you have the game to look forward to." Dr. Jennings reminded him. "What do you think their chances are?"

"We've got a bit of a problem on the offensive line, but I've been watching the tapes and we really have a strong team this year, it should be a close game."

"The Sidewinders have been strong all season." Dr. Jennings reminded him.

"So how are you doing here?" Donny asked him. "It's almost halfway through your treatment isn't it?"

"This is the end of the third week." Dr. Jennings confirmed. "I can't wait until I get out of here. It's been great, but I really just want to get back to everything."

"I can understand that." Donny responded cheerfully. "I'm really pleased I had a chance to help out."


	142. Sidewinders

Saturday came, and Fran was grateful that the work on the make-up tests had now been completed. For the first time in a couple of weeks, she was finally able to rest and relax, and also to catch up on some much missed time with Algie and Theo.

Theo had managed to switch shifts with Flit, meaning he now had the day free to spend with them both. Since Fran had been forced to go back to work early, things had been a little strained between them. They were slowly becoming used to their new routine, but they still would have preferred it if they could spend more time together.

"The football team should probably be in Silver Hills by now." He remarked as Fran finished changing her son. "Donny's probably giving them a major pep talk as we speak."

"He's good at that kind of thing." Fran remarked, grinning a little, thinking about the temporary principal. "There's just something about him, when he starts talking, he can make you believe in pretty much anything."

"He is interesting." Theo agreed, remembering the time he had been around for dinner. "So you knew him as a student didn't you?"

"I already told you I did." Fran responded, casting her mind back. "On my first day, some kid shoved me into my locker. Donny let me out."

"So he's always been a nice guy then?" Theo asked her, taking Algie from her. "I mean, the whole hero thing isn't a new...?"

"Theo, are you jealous?" Fran asked him as a little smirk crossed her face.

"No, of course not." Theo rushed out, cradling Algie to his chest softly. "I was just curious about him. I mean, he has been here a while, and he has made all these changes and..."

"You are, you're jealous!" Fran teased him, coming over and kissing his cheek softly. "Theo, when are you going to learn, you've got nothing to worry about."

"This isn't like that whole Dom thing I went through when he first came." Theo assured her. "It's just...all I really know about your life before I came to Ocean Bluff is what your parents did to you. There's a whole part of your life I can't share with you. I guess sometimes I just wish I could."

"There are only two men in my life Theo." She assured him, kissing him, before resting a hand on Algie's head. "You aren't a part of my past, but you're so much more than that to me. You're my future. You never have to feel like anything's more important than that."

"I love you Fran." He told her.

"I love you too Theo." She responded. "Anyway, Algie's asleep right now, but he should be awake by the time we get to the funfair. I'm sure he's going to love that."

"I'm sure his mommy is too." Theo replied, gathering up his car keys and his jacket.

Over in Silver Hills, the football team had arrived at Western Silver Hills High School, their coach arriving in the parking lot behind the field. Donny got out of the bus, being approached by the principal.

"Mr. Weaver, it's been a long time since you were last here." He greeted him. "If I remember rightly the last time you were here, you destroyed our defence for 187 rushing yards."

"That definitely was one of my better games Dr. Weinberg." He replied, shaking his hand. Dr. Weinberg was a lot shorter than Donny, and incredibly slight in build. He was steadily balding, and had incredibly pale flesh. He was dressed for the occasion in jeans and a Sidewinders' team jersey. While Silver Hills was renowned for its academic excellence under Dr. Weinberg's regime, their football team had been one of the main powers in the school league since the mid nineties. The main local businessman, Mr. Collins had been sponsoring the team for many years, meaning they were never short of equipment, facilities, and they were currently the only team in the league to have a full coaching staff. Rumours abounded that most of the team were already awaiting offers from the NFL. "So do you still have that box with the killer view of the field?"

"For once you're going to get to be there by invitation." Dr. Weinberg said in a laugh. "Don't try to deny it, I'm never going to believe it was a coincidence the box was TP'd straight after your victory."

"I guess I was never likely to get away with that." Donny stated. "Sorry about that Dr. Weinberg."

"That's alright, I like good-natured high jinks as much as the next guy, and please, call me Eric, and we are colleagues now." He responded as a couple of the caretakers came out to the coach. "Show our guests to their changing room would you please?"

"I guess we are colleagues of sorts." Donny said with a grin.

"I hear you've really turned around things at OB." Eric told him, putting an arm around him. "In fact, I've heard nothing but good things about all your trouble shooting efforts over the last few years. Everywhere you've gone has improved dramatically, it's like you have the Midas Touch or something."

"I really hope not." Donny laughed. "Do remember Midas managed to turn his wife to gold and starve to death by turning all his food to gold."

"You know what I mean." Eric told him as he led him into the building. "So tell me, have you ever given any thoughts to taking a permanent position?"

"I guess I figured I would one day." Donny said with a quick shrug. "I mean, no one can travel forever right?"

He suddenly stopped as he realised what was happening and looked at Eric a little surprised.

"Are you trying to head hunt me?" Donny asked him. Eric put his arm back around him and led him towards the box.

"I am always on the lookout for good people. I have been missing out on a good vice-principal since the beginning of the year." He told him.

"I can't just abandon OB." He stated flatly. "Until they get a new permanent principal..."

"I know you'd never just abandon your post, you're far too committed for that." Eric assured him. "I'd have no problem waiting for you to do whatever you need to tie up the loose ends out there."

"I don't know..."

"Let's just enjoy the game right now." Eric told him. "Meanwhile, maybe I can tell you a little bit about what we have to offer here in Western Silver Hills."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Gabby was busy doing some exercises for her leg while her father and Shane looked over the drawings she had done of her vision for the new Storm Chargers. Shane put them down, looking thoroughly impressed.

"I know you said you could do this stuff, but I never imagined anything like this." Shane complimented her. "These all look really impressive."

"I've thought of everything I can to maximise the use of space." Gabby informed him, stretching out her hamstring. "The last couple are just a couple of illustrations I came up with, kind of an image of what I see it being like. I know technical drawings only show so much."

"You really have given this a lot of thought." George complimented her. "I like the idea of this display out the front..."

"Since the skate park is going to be right next to the store it made sense to have the skateboard out the front." She explained.

"So when can we get this all started?" Shane asked George.

"Well I can have the building crew start on the exterior Monday." He informed them. "That'll give us plenty of time to get these drawings to the architect and get the interior schematics tweaked."

Gabby got back to her feet, making her way to the table where they were discussing things. She was still limping a little, but her leg was already strong enough that she was spending short periods walking without the aid of a cane to help build the strength back up. She took a seat with them, taking a sip of coffee.

"So what do you have planned?" Gabby asked her father with a little smile. "Don't try to act all innocent, I know you too well to believe you won't make a big song and dance out of this."

"I was planning on making a press statement at the ground breaking ceremony." He informed her. "I really wanted to push publicity for the new facilities quite aggressively. I've contacted everyone I know at the press..."

"Good old Dad." She replied, throwing her arms around him in her excitement. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

"With that kind of press, I'm sure all the kids will be excited about the new facilities." Shane said happily.

"The motocross track is already built, once I get a hold of some full-time staff to watch it, it'll be open, same with the beaches. It should only take a couple of weeks to get them open." He informed them. "The skate park will take a little longer to build, but we should have it up and running in a few months. It should open around the same time as the store."

"What kind of time frame are we thinking of?" Shane asked him.

"We really want to catch the summer crowd, so I'm scheduling the work to be completed by May." He informed them. He could see what Gabby was about to say and held up a hand. "You don't need to worry honey, I know you're getting married in May, I'm not expecting you to miss out on your Honeymoon."

"Anyway, this is all looking great." Shane commented. "I know you wanted to get Master Finn to help with the interior. Have you managed to talk to him yet?"

"He's away in San Francisco for the weekend." Gabby sighed. "I don't know what's going on with him recently. I'll try and get a hold of him soon."

"San Francisco again? Wasn't he there last week?" George asked her. "What does he keep doing out there?"

"He likes boats." Gabby replied with a shrug. "I guess the harbour's a nice place to sail."

"Well I'm sure you'll get a hold of him soon." George replied. "We all know how much Master Finn likes a project to work on."

Over in JKP, Johnny was having a whale of a time with his shift. Since many of the kids in town were over in Silver Hills for the game, it meant he had time to experiment in the kitchen. Business had been steady, but not exactly busy all morning. Liv came into the kitchen, finding him working some dough.

"What's that you're working on?" She asked him.

"I'm just working on a few bread recipes my mom sent me." He informed her, setting the dough aside to prove. He put on an oven mitt and pulled out a tray with a few small loaves on it, setting it aside to cool. "Trust me; you haven't lived until you've had my mom's fresh herb bread."

"Are you sure you've made enough?" Liv asked him, gesturing to all the loaves he had made. While they were small, clearly just to act as trial runs for the recipes, he had made quite a few. "I mean, we do actually need to keep SOME of the ingredients for...you know...the pizza."

"I just wanted to let your dad try a few of the different recipes." Johnny told her. He brought out a dish, pouring balsamic vinegar, and then olive oil into it. He grabbed one of the loaves, taking a slice out of it, and handing it to her. "I really like this one. Onion and parmesan."

Liv dipped it into the mixture, trying it.

"Wow, this is really good." She commented. "Dad's really going to love this!"

"I hope so." Johnny replied as he put a couple of the loaves on a plate, along with the dish of dip. "Do you think you can handle things down here for a little while? I really want to let RJ and Lily try these while they're fresh."

"I'll scream if I need help." She replied sarcastically, jerking her head in the virtually deserted restaurant.

Johnny brought the dish upstairs, finding Lily and Susan talking on the couch, while Jarrod was in the kitchenette, preparing her a smoothie. Everyone was starting to become used to Susan being in the apartment, having opted to stay there for the last few weeks of her pregnancy to be closer to the hospital.

"Johnny, how are things in the restaurant?" Lily asked him. "Do you need help?"

"Quite the opposite actually, we're actually getting a little bored down there." He told her, setting down the dish on the table. "I actually wanted you and RJ to try these, mom sent me over a bunch of her bread recipes."

"Oh, I am starving!" Susan commented, looking at the dish hungrily.

"You know you only had breakfast a couple of hours ago." Jarrod reminded her.

"You wouldn't want the baby to get hungry now would you?" Susan asked him, stroking her stomach softly. She reached forward, picking up a slice. "It's still warm."

"I only got it out of the oven a few minutes ago." Johnny explained. "That's onion and parmesan bread."

"Oh my God, Johnny this is amazing!" Susan gasped, trying the bread. "Lily, you weren't joking when you said he was talented."

"This coming from a woman I found eating bacon with maple syrup last week." Jarrod teased her. Susan just threw a piece of bread at him.

"Not fair making fun of the pregnant wife." Susan snapped at him.

"Susan's right, this really is great." Lily agreed. "Leave this with me, I have a feeling RJ will be really impressed."

Johnny left the room, leaving Lily, Susan and Jarrod to talk.

"So when's your mom coming to town?" Lily asked her.

"She said she's coming in this week." Susan told her. "She said she doesn't want to miss out on another grandchild. Now she's retired, she's started seriously talking about moving out here."

"Well I guess that makes sense." Lily said with a shrug. "I suppose all her kids are out here, and her grandkids are here."

"It just seems strange to think she'll be leaving San Fran." Susan replied. "I know it's only a house, but we all grew up out there."

"I guess it was inevitable she would want to come out here sooner or later." Lily remarked, taking another piece of bread. "I'm sure you'll love having a Grandmother out here to help out when the baby gets here."

After the game, Donny and Eric made their way out of the box, heading down the corridor. It had been an incredibly close and hard-fought game, though a last-minute touchdown had just put Ocean Bluff ahead by three points, ending the game at 21-18.

"Well that was definitely an exciting match." Eric complimented him. "I can't believe that last play your boys pulled. I still can't believe anyone still uses the Wildcat Formation."

"What can I say, so few people use it, hardly anyone expects it." Donny told him.

"Anyway, what do you think about my offer?" He asked him. "Have you given it any thought?"

"Listen Eric, I really appreciate the offer." Donny told him.

"Before you go saying 'but', just give it a little while and think about it." Eric interrupted him, leading him back towards the coach as they went past the changing rooms, hearing the players celebrating loudly. "It's an amazing opportunity. Jobs like this don't get offered every day."

"I promise I'll think about it." Donny responded, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to say or do about it. He genuinely loved the job he did for the education department. In his time, he had been able to help out so many schools, and had turned things around for so many students. He honestly loved the challenge of going to a new city and finding the lay of the land in a new school.

On the other, he also had to admit that he had always known that sooner or later, he would have to settle down. He had always intended to accept a permanent position somewhere eventually. As much as he loved travelling, he had to admit that as he got older, the prospect of waking up in the same bed every night was becoming a lot more appealing.

Meeting Fran again had stirred up other feelings in him he hadn't expected. Another major drawback of his constant travelling was the fact maintaining friendships was next to impossible. He had a few people he e-mailed regularly from here and there, but he rarely stuck around anywhere long enough to form anything other than a passing acquaintance with. The night Fran had taken him into her home, seeing the family she had gathered around her had shown him one of the things he had been missing. Seeing her with Theo and her son Algie had shown him what he had never taken the time to achieve for himself.

"You already know how to contact me once you make a decision." Eric told him, shaking his hand as the team came out of the changing room, charging towards the coach, eager to get the celebration underway. "Settle what you have to do in Ocean Bluff, but give some serious thought to what I'm offering you. I look forward to hearing from you."

Donny watched him go, still in shock over the offer. It was, for all intents and purposes, the kind of opportunity many others would jump at. He knew that Eric was right; opportunities like this didn't come around every day. Coach Andrews raised his attention by tapping him on the shoulder.

"Donny, the guys are getting restless." He informed him. "We should be making our way home."

"I agree." Donny replied, getting onto the bus. "Let them have their party. They deserve it."


	143. Final Chapter

A/N: As stated on my profile, this will be the last chapter of JFNL. For reasons I will not go into on a public forum, I am being forced to abandon this identity. I will leave it open purely to leave the stories up, but will no longer be posting stories.

I would like to humbly thank all the readers and reviewers who have enjoyed my work over the last couple of years. Your kind words and support have always been appreciated. It was fun while it lasted.

Donny was a little quiet as the coach made its way back to Ocean Bluff, still mulling over the idea of the offer Eric had made him back in Silver Hills. Not even the team's raucous rendition of "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen could rouse him from his thoughts.

As the coach rolled into the parking lot, he looked up, finding all the faculty and the team's families and friends were all waiting for them, carrying a banner congratulating them on their victory. Donny perked up a little, happy to see the show of support. Even though he knew that the turnout from the teachers had more to do with the fact that he had promised them a night out at the private dining lounge at a local steakhouse than any genuine happiness at the team's victory, it felt good to see the staff united.

"We're in the playoffs!" Coach Andrews declared loudly, getting off the coach, shaking hands with a lot of the parents. The team followed him, accepting the adulation of the crowd joyfully. Fran came over to Donny with Theo carrying Algie a little way behind her.

"We got the call a little while ago, congratulations!" Fran stated, hugging him. "This is the perfect way to end the week!"

"Well, it's almost the perfect way to finish the week." Donny corrected her, giving a wink to Coach Andrews. "I think sending the team to JKP would be the perfect way to celebrate."

The team cheered and Coach Andrews started directing them back onto the coach. The teaching staff waved them all off, before turning back to Donny.

"Coach Andrews will catch up with us for drinks after dinner I'm quite sure." Donny assured them. "In the meantime, I'm sure we all know why we're here. The steakhouse is this way!"

As they all started to make their way towards the restaurant, Fran noticed that Donny wasn't quite himself. He was happy, sure, but he wasn't as energetic and enthusiastic as she would have expected.

"Donny, is everything alright?" She asked him. Donny just forced a little smile.

"It's nothing I can't handle." He told her. "Let's just go and enjoy our meal. I don't know about you, but I have a real appetite for surf and turf."

Over in San Francisco Bay, Master Finn's boat was bobbing lazily on the surface of the water. He always enjoyed fishing, though he had a strict rule of only ever fishing for the pot so to speak. He never caught more than he intended to eat. So far, he was just enjoying the early evening view as the sun started to set, casting a majestic glow over the city.

He smiled as his rod started to tug, indicating that he was getting a bite. He picked up the rod, starting to fight with it, feeling it pull away with amazing strength.

"I guess this is our dinner!" He called through to the cabin. He fought with it a little while longer, pulling out a magnificent specimen, and swiftly putting it out of its misery. "Good grief, I didn't think whales came this far in. This thing is huge!"

"How long will it take you to clean it?" A voice called back from the cabin. Finn just smiled as he looked at it.

"I'd say it'll be ready to cook in about 20 minutes." He informed the guest on his boat.

"It's just as well I'm not that hungry." She called back.

"It's really beautiful out here." He said with a smile, putting on a chainmail gauntlet and reaching into a box, pulling out a gutting knife. "Perhaps we could continue to visit."

"I suppose it would be nice to see the city again once I move." Mrs. Rhodes replied, making her way onto the deck and putting a hand on his shoulder. Never one to waste anything, Master Finn flicked the guts into the water to feed those that were left behind. She leaned in, kissing his cheek. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with the kids. I can't believe Susan's going to give birth any time now."

"Hey, you think you've got it bad, I just inherited a teenage granddaughter." He reminded her. "Now there's something that makes you feel old."

He started scaling the fish, taking care not to damage it, at which Mrs. Rhodes sat on the edge of the boat, breathing a sigh.

"You knew this day would come." Master Finn reminded her. "You knew we were going to have to tell them sooner or later."

"I know, it's just...I'm a little worried about what they'll say." She replied sadly. "They were all devoted to their father, especially Casey."

"They wouldn't want you to be alone." Master Finn stated, putting the knife down for a second and turning to face her. He gently touched her cheek with his ungloved hand. "They're your kids; they only want you to be happy."

"So you've told RJ?" She asked him. Master Finn let out a small laugh as he conceded that point.

He had known Jack Rhodes many years ago. He had told the Rhodes kids some time ago that at one time Jack had been one of his students at Pai Zhuq. They had been good friends; indeed, Jack was the first one outside of his family that had learned the Shark Technique. Using the same dogged determination Casey had inherited; Jack had hounded him constantly until he finally agreed to teach him. It was one of the reasons he identified so well with Casey. He was so much like Jack, it was impossible not to feel like he was teaching him all over again.

He had met up with Mrs. Rhodes a while back. They had a deep connection through Jack. She had known that there was something special about him, even before she had found out about her son and his friends. After Casey's wedding, he and Mrs. Rhodes had started meeting up regularly. He had been only too happy to tell her about his past with Pai Zhuq, and share with her their memories of Jack.

Over time though, it had grown into so much more. He was going to San Francisco now whenever he could to see her. Their feelings for each other had grown stronger through their shared experiences. Both of them had lost their partners suddenly many years before. Both of them knew what it was like to be alone. Master Finn took her left hand gently in his.

"When you get to Ocean Bluff, we can tell them together." He told her, kissing her softly.

"That fish isn't going to prepare itself." She reminded him with a smile.

"I'll finish up as quickly as I can." He assured her as she went back below deck. He turned his attention back to their dinner. He was thrilled that she was finally coming to Ocean Bluff. He loved her dearly, and he was looking forward to seeing her more regularly, even if it did mean having to face questions from the others.

Back in Ocean Bluff, the main courses had just been cleared, and the party was well underway. The whole room was filled with laughter and high spirits. Donny offered Fran another glass of wine, but she put her hand over it, politely refusing.

"Sorry Donny, I'd love to but I'm driving." She informed him.

"It's alright Fran, I don't mind." Theo told her. She looked at him.

"Theo, it's alright really..."

"Look, thanks for inviting us along, but the little guy's getting a little tired and cranky." Theo told him, gesturing to Algie, who was indeed starting to look a little tired, periodically nodding off, only to be kept awake by the desire not to miss the excitement of having so many people around. "I should take him home."

"You're right, we should probably..."

"Fran, it's alright, you deserve a little time to relax after all the work you've put in recently." He assured her, starting to gather Algie's stuff together. "I don't mind driving him home; just get a cab when you're done."

"What did you ever do to deserve him?" The Home Economics teacher, Ms. Fletcher asked drunkenly, pinching Theo's cheek a little painfully. "He is the ideal husband. Isn't he just the ideal husband?"

"I'll just get going." Theo told her, getting up from the table, politely excusing himself before things got any more uncomfortable. He kissed Fran quickly before leaving. Fran turned back to Donny, handing him her glass.

"He's a good man." Donny told her, pouring it for her. "You're lucky to have him."

"I tell myself that every day." She told him with a smile. Donny took the opportunity while the waiter was handing around dessert menus to look around, noticing that all the other staff members were much too busy helping themselves to wine to really care what they were talking about. He pulled a little closer to Fran. "Fran, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure Donny." She replied, furrowing her brows a little.

"Do you ever think about what would have happened if things...were different?" He asked her. She just looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" She asked him.

"Fran, if I tell you something, can you keep it to yourself?" He asked her. She nodded her head. "Maybe not here though."

He got up, waving over the waiter and handing him his credit card.

"It's all going on the education board's tab anyway, so just let them order what they want." He instructed the waiter, before counting the number of bottles on the table. "Just...no more wine alright?"

He took Fran to the coat check, where they collected their coats and started to make their way back to his hotel, which was only a few doors away. Going into the lobby bar, he quickly ordered them a couple of drinks, before sitting with her on a comfortable couch.

"So what do you want o talk about?" Fran asked him. Donny looked at her, breathing a small sigh.

"Do you ever wonder if you've been doing the right thing with your life?" He asked her. Fran just shrugged.

"I guess we all do at some point in our lives." She conceded. "What's brought this on?"

"It's a few things." He admitted. "When I was in Silver Hills, Dr. Weinberg offered me a job."

"He offered you a job?" Fran asked him. "Are you going to take it?"

"It's awfully tempting." He replied, taking a long sip of wine. "Good salary, as much contact with the students as I want, no more travelling..."

"I thought you liked travelling." Fran interrupted him, taking some wine. "I thought you said that was one of the things you really liked about your job."

"It was." He told her honestly. "I don't know what it is, but recently I've been giving a lot of thought to my future. I've always prided myself on not getting tied down, on keeping my options open, but lately...since I came here and was reminded of so much, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm missing out on something."

He set down his glass, pouring another and turned back to her.

"I suppose there was a part of me that knew I'd never want to be travelling forever." He admitted. "I must be getting old or something, but since I came here, I've started thinking more about whether settling down somewhere for the long haul would really be such a bad thing."

"Well for what it's worth, I've never really left Ocean Bluff." She admitted. "I only left once for my honeymoon. I was in Hawaii for two weeks."

"I spent two months out there." Donny said with a smile. "It was a school in Waipahu..."

"You spent two months in Hawaii?" She asked him. "Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be able to say that?"

"The thing is, I look at what other people have now, and I'm starting to think that maybe I'm missing out." He told her honestly. "I look at what you have with Theo, and I see you with Algie…"

"I think we all get like that sometimes." She admitted. "There were times I thought I was never going to have that kind of life. I still can't believe how lucky I am."

"Well it's only another couple of weeks until Dr. Jennings gets out of the clinic." He responded in a little sigh. "After that, it's only a matter of time before I'll be moving on again."

"You've really enjoyed being back here haven't you?" She asked him with a little smile.

"It has been good to see so many of the old faces again." He replied, shifting a little on the couch. "Some more than others though."

Before Fran knew what was happening, Donny had leant in, giving her a long, warm kiss. She pulled away a little alarmed by what had happened.

"Donny!" She gasped, staring at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry, I…I don't know…" He stammered, before slumping down on the couch, holding his head in his hands dejectedly. "Fran, I'm so sorry. I should never have done that."

"I think I should just go." She told him, getting up from the couch slowly.

"Fran, please I'm sorry…"

"Donny, I like you, this time we've spent together has been great, but I love Theo." She told him. "I'm sorry, I really need to go."

"Fran…" He called after her, but it was too late, she had already fled the building. Donny just ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He hadn't meant to do it. He had to admit feeling close to Fran, and the feelings that had been brought up in him as a result of being back home in Ocean Bluff had confused him greatly. The wine certainly hadn't helped. Now he knew he had completely blown it. The one person he could talk to about this, the one person he could rely on to help him make up his mind, he had alienated with his foolish actions. There was no way he could expect Fran to forgive him, not when he wasn't sure he could forgive himself.


End file.
